Omaha City (part 17 of 26)

Mr. Fisher's first experience in this business was obtained at Taylorsville, Ohio. On leaving that state he went direct to St. Louis and thence to St. Joseph, Missouri, and afterward to White Cloud, Kansas. Later he joined a caravan at St. Joseph en route to Montana, making the trip by prairie schooner drawn by oxen. One night when the party halted Mr. Fisher was left to guard the camp while the men went out to reconnoiter for water. The only woman and child in the party were left in his care. While the men were gone a band of marauding Indians appeared on the scene, several having crawled over the barricade 'before he discovered them. While much alarmed, he had the presence of niiiul to point to the wagons, signifying that the other men of the party were secreted there and might at any moment arrive. At this the Indians took alarm and made away through the darkness. At length Mr. Fisher reached Bannack, Montana, where he engaged in the meat business. Like hundreds and thousands of others, he later set out to secure the glittering dust from the sands of the creeks, but after vain attempts to make a fortune as a placer miner he abandoned the hope. Llowever, he had been tiling on copper claims, for at that time copper was being discovered in considerable quantities in Montana. After obtaining large numbers of claims Mr. Fisher went to other localities and also to Idaho and by so doing forfeited his claims, the law having changed in his absence. The claims which he had held proved later to be some of the richest properties of his then nearest neighbor. Senator William A. Clark, the copper king. Upon Mr. Fisher's arrival at Bannack, Montana, he took in as a partner a boy friend from Zanesville, Ohio, and sent him out to buy their supply of live stock for their winter business, Mr. Fisher putting in all of his own, all of the company's money and twenty-two hundred dollars which he had borrowed. The boy proved unreliable and never returned to Bannack. Mr. Fisher was a good loser, notwithstanding the fact that he had lost every dollar as he supposed, for the young man had sold out the tools and the business and even sold their dog for fifty dollars. It was on going to work the next morning that Mr. Fisher learned what had happened. On donning his overalls for a new start, he found twenty dollars in gold dust in his pockets and on his way to breakfast he made a deal in cured meats that netted him seventy-five dollars, so his start was begun with ninety-five dollars. He went to work by the month with nine men under him, some old enough to be his father, and he earned the money to pay ofif every dollar of the borrowed money. When he did so his former creditors ofifered to let him have all the borrowed money he wanted to go into the meat business. When the debt was discharged he turned his attention to mining and secured over one thousand dollars in gold, but he tired of that line and with twenty companions built a raft and started from Fort Benton, Montana, down the Alissouri river. The Indians were not friendly and tried many schemes to induce them to go ashore. After passing one party by others would spring out from ambush. As the white men floated down the Missouri dift'erent men left the party, each one usually giving his share in the raft to Mr. Fisher, so that he thus became practically the owner of the raft and the controlling spirit of the enterprise. The trip down the river completed, he w^ent direct to Zanesville, Ohio. He did not stop to buy any new clothes and his father was much displeased to see him thus poorly dressed, but on learning all the circumstances, that he had paid his obligations to the last dollar and that he wore a belt containing over one thousand dollars, he felt very proud of his son.

After a short visit home Conrad G. Fisher returned to Omaha, which was practically just entering on the second decade of its existence. Sheeley Brothers were the leading meat merchants of the city and Mr. Fisher entered their employ, working from sixteen to eighteen hours per day. While there he met two young men, who in later years, in turn, became his business partners and lifelong friends. These were James A. Vyse and Robert A. Harris. In 1869 Mr. Fisher said: "Tim, if we can make money for Sheeley Brothers we can for ourselves. I will go and look up a location." He decided on Hamburg, Iowa, and there they engaged in business under the firm name of Fisher & Vyse, but in 1870 Mr. Fisher disposed of his interest there, his wounded arm being the cause. He then went to Council Bluffs, where he became a partner in the firm of Keeline & Fisher. He lived almost constantly outdoors and in the saddle, going as far south as the Mexican border, north to ^linnesota and to distant points east and west in quest of stock until his arm grew better. He then returned to Omaha, which he made his headquarters. Early in the fall of 1877 ^'^^ bought out the J. T. Davis packing plant at Hamburg, Iowa, and took Henry Leland in as a partner under the name of Fisher & Leland. The business grew rapidly and was prospering when the plant was destroyed by fire. About a year later the insurance money with other funds was lost in a bank failure and Mr. Fisher suffered a heavy financial loss. He next formed a partnership with a Mr. Oaks and they went out on the Republican river, buying stock far and near, which they shipped to eastern markets. In 1878 Mr. Fisher returned to Omaha and entered ni.o partnership with Robert A. Harris, proprietor of the leading retail meat business of the city. The Harris & Fisher Packing & Canning Company was organized and their first slaughter house was on the river at Douglas street. Later they were located at Sheeley, in Omaha, where they continued until the coming of the big packers with their vast financial resources and improved machinery, making it impossible for the smaller packers to compete with them. Harris & Fisher were the pioneer beef packers and canners of this city and developed their business to extensive proportions during their partnership, Mr. Harris having charge of the retail end of the business, while Mr. Fisher, who longed for fresh air and sunshine, attended to the purchasing and packing department. As the years passed the business grew in volume and importance until it became the leading beef, sheep, pork and canning packing industry of this city and of the western part of the country. In 1889 the firm discontinued, at which period it was doing a business of over a million dollars annually. It was then that the firm entered California and established much larger packing plants, but because of the continued ill health of a member of his family Mr. Fisher felt obliged to withdraw from the company. He then engaged in buying sheep in Utah and shipping to eastern markets. In 1893 he located in Beatrice, Nebraska, where he formed a partnership with James J. Skow in the retail meat business and in feeding and shipping cattle and hogs to eastern markets. In the fall of 1896 Mr. Fisher returned to Omaha and entered into the retail meat business, in which he continued until 1902, when he went west to Wyoming, Idaho and Alontana, returning to Nebraska in 1904. He then bought and took up land near Burwell, in Garfield county, where he entered into stock raising and agricultural pursuits. In 1914 on account of failing health he returned to Omaha and here his death occurred July 23, 1916. He was a sincere Christian man, devoted to home and family. From childhood he was a member of the Lutheran church and lived a conscientious Christian life.

On January 14, 1880, Mr. Fisher was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Rebina Willcox, of Hamburg, Iowa. Two children were born of this union: Fredrick Willcox. who died at the age of sixteen years ; and Mabel Sarah, who is a graduate of the Omaha high school and of the Nebraska State University of the class of 1906. At present she is a student nurse in the Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago.

Mr. Fisher was a valued life member of Covert Lodge, A. F. & A. M., with which he was connected for forty-seven years. He also belonged to U. S. Grant Post, No. no, G. A. R., of which he was chaplain and commander for one year. He had membership in the Nebraska State Historical Society, the Nebraska Territorial Pioneers and the Douglas County Association of Nebraska Pioneers. In the early days he was connected with the Volunteer Firemen's Association of Omaha and was a veteran of that organization at the time of his death. There was no phase of the city's development with which he was not closely_ connected, for at all times he stood for progress and improvement here. His initial efforts in the packing business were followed by the efforts of many others, making Omaha a great center of the live stock industry of the country'. In all of his activities and dealings Mr. Fisher maintained an unsullied reputation for business integrity as well as enterprise, commanding the respect of patrons, colleagues and employes. His worth was widely acknowledged and in his passing Ornaha lost one of its most valued and representative citizens.

No record of the life of Mr. Fisher would be complete without mention of his many benefactions and philanthropies. Ever ready to respond to the call of the needy, no legitimate charitable object appealed to him m vain. Of a tender-hearted nature, ])road sympathies and most kindly disposition, he gave without ostentation or display and his many deeds of kindness and private charities only became known when told of by the recipients.

His widow, Mrs. Sarah Rebina Fisher, is a daughter of Eli and Maria (Kintzel) Willcox, her birth occurring in Seneca township, Haldman county, western Ontario, Canada, September 5, 1850. At the age of ten years she came to the United States with her parents and settled at Hamburg, Iowa, in March, 1 86 1. Her education was completed at Tabor College, Tabor, Iowa. She comes of old New luigland stock. Her great-great-grandfather, Daniel Harris, Sr., and her great-grandfather, Daniel Harris, Jr., were Revolutionary war soldiers. Her grandfather, Daniel Willcox, served in the War of 18 12. Mrs. Fisher is a member of the Omaha Qiapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of U. S. Grant Relief Corps. She is also a member of the Eastern Star, the Omaha Fine Arts Society, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Douglas County Association of Nebraska Pioneers and the National Geographic Society and has held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church for over forty years.

John A. Rine

John A. Rine, city attorney of Omaha, was born in Fremont, Nebraska, December 23, 1878. His father, Philip Rine, a native of Pennsylvania, was of German descent. The "founder of the family in America was Henry Rine, who crossed the Atlantic from the fatherland to the new world in 1768. Philip Rine wedded Laura Wirminghaus, a native of Michigan and also of German descent. They became the parents of three children, John A., C. W. and Mrs. G. W. Baird, of Fremont, Nebraska. It was during the '70s that the parents came to this state, casting in their lot with the pioneer settlers of Fremont, where the father was a farmer and stockman for a number of years but is now living retired.

After acquiring his early education in the public schools of his native city, John A. Rine entered the University of Michigan and was graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1900. Thus equipped for the bar he entered upon active practice, following his profession in a private capacity until 1904, when he was made United States referee in bankruptcy, which position he filled until 1907. He was then called to the office of assistant city attorney under Harry E. Burnam and so continued until 1910. He was then appointed to fill the vacancy in the office of city attorney and has ever since held that position.

In his political affiliations Mr. Rine has always been a democrat. He has pleasant associations with his professional colleagues, is a member of the Omaha Bar As.sociation, the Nebraska State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is a Mason who has taken the degrees of the Scottish Rite and the ]\Iystic Shrine. He belongs to the Commercial Club, and along more strictly social lines has membership in the Omaha Athletic, the Omaha Field and the Carter Lake Clubs.

David C. Dodds

David C. Dodds, an active business man now connected with the Ralston Furniture Company, was born in Adams county, Ohio, March 30, 1868, a son of Isaiah L. and ^lary K. (Johnston) Dodds, both of w^honi were natives of Butler, Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, John Dodds, was also born in the Keystone state but his ancestors came originally from England and the north of Ireland. Late in life John Dodds removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio and there passed away. It was upon his land that the first hard coal in Ohio was discovered. Isaiah L. Dodds also became a resident of Ohio and there at the time of the Civil war he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting for service at the front. He remained with the army until the close of the war, after which he returned to his Ohio home and there carried on farming for a number of years. He afterward became a resident of Nebraska, where his last days were passed, and at his death he was laid to rest in Forest Lawn cemetery in Omaha.

In a family of five sons and two daughters David C. Dodds was the fifth in order of birth. He supplemented his public school training by a course of study in a normal school and afterward attended the Fayette Norm.al University, from which he was graduated in 189 1. He took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for four years during the interval between his attendance at the normal and at the university. In 1892 he removed to Omaha and, desirous of becoming better prepared for a business career, he entered the Omaha Business College, in which he completed a course of study. He was afterward employed by the K. vS. Newcomb Lumber Company, with which he remained for two years, and afterward he entered the employ of the Deering Harvester Company, with which he remained for seven years. He was assistant manager during the last period of his connection with that company. Becoming connected with the postoffice, he continued there for ten years as a representative of the railway mail service and later he became interested in the Ralston Furniture Company, occupying the position of general manager at the plant at Ralston, where the company has a main building sixty by one hundred and sixty feet, two stories in height and basement. There is also a brick mill room sixty by ninety feet, a boiler and engine room and a drying kiln of brick. All these are conn.ected "and the plant covers three and a half acres of land. Sixty employes are. usually to be found at the plant and the business constitutes one of the important manufacturing enterprises not only of the town but of the county. They manufacture upholstered furniture, which is sold through the Orchard & Wilhelm Company.

On the 30th of November, 1898, Mf-.DQ(ldf..was united in marriage to Miss Mary Haerttelt, of Chicago, and to them has fceen boi/n a son, David Franklin. Mr. Dodds is a member of the Masonic Lodge an'd.,is an excellent citizen, held in high regard wherever known. He was in Nebraska nearly ten years before he was joined by any of his brothers, but the five brothers came and all have been successful and are now numbered among the worthy citizens of this state. As a business man of Ralston Mr. Dodds has made for himself a most creditable position and is today at the head of an important productive industry which constitutes a valuable factor in the business life of the community.

Joseph A. Shopen

Joseph A. Shopen, president of the real estate firm of J. A. Shopen & Company of Omaha, was born at Cedar Falls, Iowa, March 25, 1875, ^ son of Joseph and Hortense (Tucker) Shopen, the former a native of Germany, while the latter was born in Illinois. When but six years of age the father came to the new world with his parents, the family home being established in Chicago, where he attended school. He afterward engaged in dairy farming in Illinois and Iowa and later returned to Illinois but is now living in Omaha at the age of seventy-six years, having resided in this city since 1906. His wife passed away in Illinois in 190 1 and is survived by three of her four sons, the youngest, Fred, having passed away. The others are: John, living in Elgin, Illinois; Hon. Frank Shopen, who is city judge of Elgin ; and Joseph A., of this review.

The last named pursued his education in the public schools of Elgin and latei took up the printer's trade. He afterward took a course in advertising and eventually became manager of an implement house in Omaha, removing to this city in

1903. He continued in that position for three years and then turned his attention to the real estate business in August, 1909. Gradually as his clientage grew he felt the necessity of having someone share with him in the burdens and rcs])onsibilities of the business and in 1913 he was joined by Walter R. Zink and the hrm of Shopen & Company was incorporated with Mr. Zink as secretary and treasurer. They have conducted their business with a recognition of two facts: first, that it is an easy matter to develop real estate activity along a special line so that homes can be sold on easy terms with safety to both buyer and seller, and this has led to the development of their lease clause purchase contract. The second idea which they have incorporated in their business covers a unique system of exchanging properties, and by their cooperation with banks and trust companies they can sell outright and also exchange properties in other cities or farms in any state in the Union. Their business has steadily developed through honest, legitimate methods and from time to time they have been forced to seek larger quarters. Both partners are alert, energetic real estate men, and aside from handling both city and farm property they conduct an immense insurance business, specializing in fire and tornado insurance. They also have a rental department, the business of which has developed so rapidly that it is now in charge of a man who gives his entire attention to this work. They have a corps of competent office help and their business is so wisely and carefully managed that success in large measure is attending their efforts.

On the 1 8th of May, 1898, Mr. Shopen was married to Miss Edith V. Simpson, of Elgin, Illinois, a daughter of Joseph Simpson, now of Chicago, Illinois. Their four children are: Leslie, who was born in Elgin in 1899; Cecil, born in Elgin in 1901 ; Frank, in Omaha in 1907 ; and Lorraine, born in Benson, Nebraska, in April, 1913. -

Making his home in Benson, Mr. Shopen has served as chairman of the school board and its building committee. He holds membership in the Gospel Hall church and he is an active member of the Omaha Commercial Club, cooperating heartily in all of its well defined plans and movements for the city's upbuilding, the extension of its trade relations and the establishment of higher standards of citizenship. He is a man of forceful character, resourceful in business, thoroughly progressive and reliable at all times, and his many substantial qualities have gained him the full confidence of those whom he has met in a business way as well as those with whom he is connected socially.

Samuel A. Houser

A spirit of marked enterprise and progressiveness characterizes Samuel A. Llouser, founder and president of the Omaha Taxicab Company, in all his business relations, resulting in the attainment of substantial and well merited success. He is now widely and favorably known in the city where he has made his home since 1908. He was born in Mills county, Iowa, August 21, 1887, a son of Mr. and Mrs. James Houser, who were natives of Pennsylvania but at an early period in the development of Iowa became pioneer settlers of Mills county, establishing their home near Henderson, where the father successfully engaged in farming. He is now retired and resides in Henderson. His wife passed away when their son. Samuel A., was but eighteen months old. He was the third in order of birth in a family of four children, the others being Welbern, Ella and Addie.

At the usual age Samuel A. Houser became a public school pupil in his native locality and when his textbooks were put aside he turned his attention to the great wide field of business in search of an occupation. He felt that the taxicab service ofifered a profitable line and in 1908 became the pioneer in that undertaking in Omaha. He established business on a small scale but as the years have passed his patronage has grown to large proportions. In the beginning he had but one car and today he has eighteen. In 19 lo he incorporated his interests under the name of the Omaha Taxicab Company, a close corporation, of which he is the president and manager.

On the i6th of July, 1913, Mr. Houser was married to Miss Helen May Cox, of Council Bluffs, a native of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Houser are members of the Episcopal church and in his political faith he is a republican. He belongs to the Happy Hollow Club, the Rotary Club, the Commercial Club and is popular in those organizations, for he possesses those social qualities which make for friendship and regard. He is justly accounted one of the leading young men of Omaha, viewed from both a social and business standpoint, and he certainly deserves the success which has come to him, for marked enterprise and progressiveness have been the salient points in his business career.

Millard Mahlon Robertson

Millard Mahlon Robertson, president of the Evans-Model Laundry of Omaha, was born in Bethany, Missouri, June 22, 1867. His father, John Burton Robertson, a native of Springfield, Illinois, was born in 1844 and with the call to arms in 1861 his patriotic spirit was aroused and he enlisted as a member of the Fifty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which he served to the end of the war. during which time he was forced to spend five months in Andersonville prison, having been captured by the enemy. In Illinois he wedded*Miss Nancy Ellen Copeland, who was also a native of Springfield, that state, and who passed away in 1869. in 1871, in Bethany, Missouri, Mr. Robertson was again married but lost his second wife in 1914.

Between the years 1870 and 1885 Millard M. Robertson spent his youth upon a farm in Nemaha county, Nebraska, where he attefided the district schools, but never had the advantage of high school or college training. In the latter year he came to Omaha and spent six months as a student in a commercial college, meeting his expenses by doing odd jobs. He then entered the'eniploy of J. H. Evans, with whom he remained until 1898, his long continued service in that connection being unmistakable proof of his fidelity and capability. In the latter year he bought the towel supply business from' Mr. Evans and in 1905 broadened the scope of his activities and business connections by the purchase of the Model Laundry, borrowing twenty-five thousand dollars with which to consummate the purchase. In 19 12 the Model Laundry and the Evans Laundry were merged under the name of the Evans-Model Laundry and in the same year the business was re-incorporated, at which time Mr. Robertson became president and treasurer. He has since continued in that connection. Such is the mere outline of his ascent in the business world. It tells nothing, however, of his struggles and his efforts to overcome obstacles and difficulties. He has faced setbacks that not one man in ten thousand could have overcome. Energy and determination have constituted his motive force and today he is recognized as a dynamic power in business circles in his adopted 'city. In his vocabulary there is no such word as fail. He conquered by the sheer force of his will and his adaptability, recognizing the fact that when one avenue of opportunity seems closed he can carve out another path that will reach the desired goal. Moreover, his friends point to another element in his career with pride- - the fact that he has never deviated from an honorable course in all of his business transactions. In addition to his extensive laundry business he is now connected with the Omaha Loan & Building Association as a director and he has found time for cooperation in many plans and projects for the uplift of his fellowmen and the upbuilding of the community.

Jessie E. Tower, daughter of Lewis Tower, a representative of an old English family. The children of this marriage are Gladys Maurine and Elizabeth Loomis.

Mr. Robertson's military record covers three years' service, from 1894 until 1896 inclusive, as a member of Company L of the First Regiment of the Nebraska National Guard. He exercises his right of franchise in supjiort of the men and measures of the republican party and fraternally is a Mason, connected with both the York and Scottish Rites and the Iv'Iystic Shrine. He is very prominent in the order and is now vice president of the Nebraska Masonic Home and president of the Masonic Relief Association of Omaha. He likewise belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he has membership in the Commercial Club, in the Carter Lake Club and the Happy Hollow Club and is a life member of the Athletic Club of Omaha. He and his wnfe are consistent members of the First Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is treasurer, and he takes a most active part in church work and is ever ready to do anything within his power for the betterment of his city and the assistance of his fellowmen toward higher modes of living and loftier planes of thought. With limited advantages in early life he has in his career demonstrated the worth of character and the opportunity for character building that lies before every individual.

Ludwig Kratky

Ludwig Kratky, of the firm of Kratky Brothers, dealers in coal and feed and also conducting an insurance business, was born in Austria-Himgary, August 25, 1875, a son of Anton and Mary Kratky, who were also natives of that country. Coming to America in 1880, they made their way to North Bend, Nebraska, w^'here the father engaged in various lines of business. In 1890 he became a resident of South Omaha, where he conducted a teaming and coal business, continuing his activity along that line until May, 1908, when he was called to his final rest at the age of sixty-three years. His wife was reared, educated and married in Austria and is now living in Omaha at the age of seventy-one. In their family were nine children, three of whom have passed away. Those still living are : Mrs. Frank Kudma, who was born in xA-ustria and is living at Mead. Nebraska; Anton, who was born in Austria and resides in Omaha; Mrs. Mary Eddy, who was born in Austria and is living in this city; John A., who was bom in North Bend, Nebraska, and Mrs. Annie Koutsky, also a native of North Bend.

Of this family Ludwig Kratky was the third in order of birth. After coming to this state he attended the public schools of North Bend, but when only ten years of age began earning his living as a farm hand. After removing to South Omaha he secured employment wnth the Swift Packing Company, with which he remained for seven years, and when twenty-two years of age he became a student in the Omaha Commercial College, realizing that business training would materially promote his interests in the commercial world. When he later put aside his textbooks he secured a position wath the T. B. Watkins Lumber Company, with which he continued for two years. He next entered the employ of the Christy Brothers Coal Company, wath which he continued for eight years, and on the ist of May, 1910, he bought out the business, which has since grown under his direction to large proportions. The firm of which he is a representative is today a leader in its line in vSouth Omaha, controlling a very extensive trade in coal and feed, while the insurance department is also an important one. Mr. Kratky is likewise a representative of the Conservative Savings & Loan Association of Omaha, which is one of the largest institutions of the kind in the United States.

On the 24th of July, 1901, in Omaha, Mr. Kratky was united in marriage to Miss Frances Kautsky, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Kautsky. The children of this marriage are three in number: Lucille, who was born in Omaha in 1902 and is now attending high school; Louis, who was born in 1907 and is in the graded schools, and Frances, who was born in 1910 and is also in school.

Mr. Kratky gives his political allegiance to the democratic party and he is a member of the Roman Catholic church. He has membership with the Z. C. B. J., the Modern Woodmen of America, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He was but five years of age when his parents emigrated to the new world, and through the intervening period he has been identified with Nebraska's interests. He became thoroughly imbued with the spirit of western enterprise and progress and in his business career has advanced continuously, achieving that success which is the direct reward of individual effort, intelligently directed, and of indefatigable energy.

William J. Brennan

William J. Brennan, president of the Crosby-Kopiltz-Casey Company, Inc., retail dealers in lumber, coal and builders' supplies, is in this connection the active head of one of the largest business establishments of the kind in South Omaha. He was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, October 8. 1866, a son of the late Michael Brennan, a native of Ireland, who spent his entire life there, conducting a successful business as a farmer. He was active in politics but never sought public honors and he passed away in May, 191 4, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife, Ann Brennan, also a native of Ireland, died in June, 1914, one month after the death of her husband.

William J. Brennan, the third in their family of eight sons and a daughter, was educated in the national schools of Ireland to the age of sixteen years, when he entered upon the work of teaching, which he followed for three years. Prior to that time he lived upon his father's farm and assisted in its cultivation when not occupied with the duties of the schoolroom. After giving up his educational work in Ireland he crossed the Atlantic to the new world, arriving at Castle Garden in April, 1886, an entire stranger with little capital. For a brief period he was at Orange, New Jersey, and then removed to Champaign, Illinois, where he secured employment at farm work. After spending a year there he removed to Chicago, where he was in the employ of Swift & Company. In April, 1888, he came to Omaha as an employe of Swift & Company, with which corporation he continued in a clerical capacity for a year. He later became timekeeper for the Cudahy Company and was advanced to the position of paymaster, filling that office until 1902, when he became superintendent of the manufacturing department. From that point he was further advanced in March, 1903, to the superintendency of the Sioux City (la.) plant, where he remained for a short time, after which he was transferred to Chicago in a similar capacity, there remaining with the company until November, 1903. Soon afterward he returned to Omaha and became interested in his present business in a clerical capacity. In August, 1904, he became a director of the company and in 1906 was elected president and general manager, which position he has since successfully filled, bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control of interests which are now large and important. His advancement since starting out in business on this side the Atlantic has been continuous. Each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities, which he has capably utilized, and as the years have passed has attained that notable success which is the legitimate outcome and reward of earnest, persistent labor intelligently directed.

On the loth of July, 1895, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Brennan was married to Miss Alice Dervin, a native of St. Louis. Missouri, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Dervin, both deceased. Ller father was a Civil war veteran and participated in the battle of Murfreesboro, the anniversary of which he celebrated each year to the time of his death save during the last year, his death occurring on the day previous to the anniversary of that memorable event. Mr. and Mrs. Dervin were early settlers of Watertown, Wisconsin, where both now lie buried. Mr. and Mrs. Brennan have become the parents of a son and a daughter: Eugenia M., who was born in June, 1896, and is now a student in the State University, and William Richard, who was born in April, 1897, and is a student in Creighton College.

Mr. Brennan gives his political allegiance to the republican party and from 1899 until 1901 inclusive he was secretary of the board of education. He has always taken a very active part in civic and political matters. He is a communicant of the Catholic church and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He also has membersh'.p with the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a member of the Prettiest Mile Club. His present position is in marked contrast to his condition at the time of his arrival in America with a cash capital of less than twenty dollars. A self-made man in the fullest sense of that term, he has worked along the lines of indefatigable effort, making each experience count as a stepping-stone toward further achievement, until he today occupies a creditable and enviable position as president of the Crosby-Kopiltz-Casey Company.

Samuel E. Schweitzer

Samuel E. Schweitzer, secretary and treasurer of the Omaha Electric Light & Power Company, has been splendidly qualified by thorough college training and broad experience for the duties which now devolve upon him. Through the steps of an orderly progression he has advanced to his present place as a prominent representative of those business interests which figure as public utilities. He was born July 29, 1862, in Freemansburg, Pennsylvania, a son of Henry Schweitzer, who was also a native of that state and of German descent. The founder of the family in the new world was an agriculturist and came to America prior to the Revolutionary war. Henry Schweitzer engaged in various commercial pursuits and during the later years of his life followed farming. He spent his entire life in Pennsylvania, passing away in 1913, at the age of eightyseven years. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Aravesta Straub, was also born in the Keystone state and is of German lineage. She is yet enjoying excellent health at the age of seventy-nine years.

In a family of two sons and two daughters Samuel E. Schweitzer was the second in order of birth. The public schools of his native state afforded him his early educational opportunities and he afterward attended the College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, from which he was graduated with the Ph. G. degree in 1882. He then took up pharmaceutical work and devoted a number of years to that profession in the employ of others. He came to Omaha on the 12th of February, 1888, and obtained a position in the D. W. Saxe pharmacy in the old Boyd Theatre building. On the 5th of December, 1889, he accepted the position of" bookkeeper in the New Omaha Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company, the predecessors of the present Omaha Electric Light & Power Company, continuing in the service of the former company until the consolidation. He was then elected secretary and treasurer and has thus continued to serve since 1898. He devotes all his time and attention to the business, which is carefully and wisely directed under his management and. that of his associates in office. He studies closely every phase of public service connected with the furnishing of electric light and power and he has been active in making the company one of value in connection with the public utilities of the state.

City, Missouri, to Miss Pearl Gillette, a native of Arkansas. They are members of the Lutheran church and in political belief Mr. Schweitzer is a republican but not an office seeker. He is identified with the Commercial Club and along strictly social lines has connection with the Omaha, the Omaha Athletic and the Omaha Field Clubs, enjoying the comradeship of the members of those organizations, while his own worth has wrought for personal popularity.

John G. Brandt

John G. Brandt was prominently connected with the tobacco trade in Omaha and was also a well-known figure in musical circles. The city numbered him among her native sons, his birth having here occurred in 1872. His father, Reimers Brandt, was at one time owner of the old Brandt hall of Omaha.

Reared in his native city, John G. Brandt acquired a public school education and afterward turned his attention to the cigar and tobacco business, in which he engaged as a wholesale merchant under his own name for many years, building up a business of large, profitable and gratifying proportions in that connection. He thus became well known in commercial circles of the city and he was equally well known because of his musical skill and talent. He was a member of an orchestra for many years, playing the traps and drum, and he took great delight in his music.

In 1895 ^^- Brandt was united in marriage to Miss Augusta Paulsen, a daughter of Senator John T. Paulsen, one of the prominent and honored residents of this part of the state. To Mr. and Mrs. Brandt were born three children, John George, Theodore and William.

The husband and father passed away in 1912 and his death was the occasion of deep regret to his many friends and associates as well as his immediate family. He belonged to the Modern Woodmen of America arid he gave his support to the democratic party from the time when age conferred upon him the right of franchise.

Richard M. Laverty

Among those actively identified with the live stock commission business in Omaha is Richard M. Laverty, and the spirit of western progress and improvement has found exemplification in his career. With a belief in the possibilities for individual achievement he has worked along lines leading to substantial results. Nebraska numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Cass county, July 13, 1874, his parents being A. A. and Mary (McClintock) Laverty, who were natives of Michigan and Ohio respectively. In the early '60s they came to Nebraska, settling in Cass county, where the father engaged in farming and also in the raising and selling of cattle. He figured prominently in the public life of the community and served as county judge of Cass county. In 1884 he removed with his family to Valley county, where he continued his stock raising interests, and his fellow townsmen of that locality, appreciative of his worth and ability, again called upon him for judicial service, so that he remained in the position of county judge of Valley county for several terms. He continued his residence there until he came to Omaha to make his home with his son, and in this city he passed away in January, 19 14, when eighty years of age. His wife was reared in Michigan and in early life became a resident of Iowa, where she remained for several years and then removed to Nebraska. She is still living at the age of seventy-four.

and two daughters. lie began his education in the pubhc schools of Cass county and afterward attended a high school in Valley county, being graduated therefrom when sixteen years of age. There he engaged in teaching for two years and on the expiration of that period entered the office of county clerk, with which he was connected for four years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Omaha, where he engaged in t'-"^ live stock business in connection with his brothers, Alexander, Jay and J. D. j^averty. Today Richard M. Laverty is the only one connected with the business who was associated therewith at the time of his entrance in 1896. The offices of the company are maintained in the Exchange building and his 1)rother, J. D. Laverty, has charge of the Denver branch of the business, while the others of the firm have withdrawn. The South Omaha branch handles more than two hundred carloads of live stock per month and their extensive operations make them leading figures in connection with the live stock commission business at this point. Reared on a farm and familiar with live stock from early boyhood, Richard M. Laverty brought broad experience to the conduct of the interests which he assumed when he became a partner in the firm, and in all that he has undertaken he has been actuated by a spirit of modern progress and improvement.

At Lexington, Nebraska, on the 4th of October, 1900, Mr. Laverty was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Horner, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Horner, pioneer settlers of this state. The marriage has been blessed with five children. Ruth, born in South Omaha in 1901, is attending high school at Bellevue, Nebraska : ]\Iary Alice, born in South Omaha in 1905, is attending school in Riverview; Jean and Cora, twins, born in 1908, are in school in Riverview also, and Richard Horner, born October 29, 1916, completes the family.

The parents hold membership in Grace Methodist Episcopal church of South Omaha and guide their lives by its teachings. A-Ir. Laverty is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in club circles he is well known, having membership with the Commercial, the Happy Hollow and the Seymour Lake Clubs. He votes with the republican party but has never been an aspirant for office. From a humble position in the business world his advancement has been steady and consecutive. The extent and importance of his interests place him among the leading business men not only of the city but of the state. He has used his opportunities wisely and well and has so exercised his talents that he seems to have accomplished at any one point in his career the possibility for successful accomplishment at that point.

J. P. Guth, an architect of Omaha, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, June 24, 1862, his parents being P. J. and Theresa (Baumeister) Guth, who were also natives of that country. The father was well known in architectui-al and engineering circles of Germany and was employed by the government for many years in railroad construction, building many of the famous tunnels and railroad bridges of southern Germany. To that work he devoted his energies until his death, which occurred in 1890, when he was seventy-six years of age. In 1892 his widow came to America, locating in Kankakee, Illinois, where she died at the age of seventy-six. In their family were four children, two daughters and two sons.

The youngest of the number was J. P. Guth, who in early life entered the public and technical schools of Wurtemberg and Bavaria and there continued his studies until his nineteenth year. He was graduated in 1879 ^"^ then served as a practitioner for nearly two years in a district architect's office in Wurtemberg. In the latter part of 1881 he came to America, making his way first to

Cleveland, Ohio, where he became connected with the department of architecture of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad. Later he was with the Northern Pacific Railroad at Brainerd, Minnesota, in the construction department, and afterward became an employe of the Burlington at Lincoln, Nebraska! He came to Omaha as a trusted employe in the engineering department of the Union Pacific Railway Company, with which he continued until 1887, when he decided to start out upon an independent professional career, and through the intervening period, covering three decades, he has erected many of the most prominent buildings of this city and of the state.

On the loth of June, 1888, Mr. Guth was married in Omaha to Miss Bella D. Puis and they have become the parents of two daughters: Theresa, who was bom in Omaha and since graduating from the high school has acted as assistant to her father in his office; and Julia, who was born in Omaha and is also a high school graduate.

Fraternally Mr. Guth is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the democratic party but has never sought nor desired office. He has always preferred to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs and, studying every phase of building with regard to utility, convenience and beauty as well as construction, he has become in the course of his career one of the well known and leading architects of Omaha.

George W. Mas Son

George W. Masson, a wholesale commission merchant of South Omaha, claims Ohio as the state of his nativity, his birth having occurred in Dayton, December 8, 1848. His father, George Masson, a native of Scotland, came to America during the late '30s and settled in Dayton, when it was a village. During the Mexican war he went to the front, protecting American interests throughout the entire period of hostilities. During the early '50s he removed to Indiana and afterward to Illinois. Later he became a resident of St. Mar}^s, Canada, and thence went to Kalamazoo, Michigan. He afterward went to Plainwell, Michigan, where he entered the service of the United States government in the Civil war, enlisting in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, serving until September 23, 1863, when he became ill and was sent home, his death occurring at his residence in Plainwell when he w^as fifty-six years of age. He was a blacksmith and expert horseshoer and won substantial success in business. His religious faith was that of the Scotch Presbyterian church. He married for his second wife Nancy Anway, a native of Ohio and a descendant of one of the old New England families. She died in 1902 at the age of seventy years. There were six children by the second marriage.

George W. Masson, the second in order of birth, was educated in the schools of Plainwell, Michigan, but when a youth of fifteen took up the task of providing for his own support and upon the death of his father largely assumed the support of the family, his elder brother being then in the army. He was first employed as a laborer and afterward took up the work of contracting and building, which he followed until twenty-one years of age. He then entered the wholesale and retail meat business in Plainwell and successfully operated along that line until the spring of 1885, when he sold his interests there and removed to Omaha, where he arrived on the 5th of August. Although an utter stranger he immediately entered the meat business, opening a shop at No. 162 1 Howard street, where he remained for eighteen months. When he left Michigan it was with the intention of entering the packing business, and on coming to Omaha he had that thought in view. After selling his retail market he entered the wholesale meat business and had plans perfected for establishing a large slaugh- tering- and packing plant where the Swift Company is now located, but some of tlie men who were to be financially interested in the project backed down and the plan fell through. About 1898 Mr. Masson entered the wholesale produce commission business at No. 2524 South Twenty-fourth street and in that field has since successfully engaged. During the spring of 1884 he had come from Chicago to Omaha, having read an article in the Chicago Tribune on the possibilities of the city and the packing business. On his arrival he commenced to carefully study the situation and became very much enthused over Omaha and its future. He at once bought several residence lots on Twenty-fourth and C streets, these being the first lots sold in South Omaha, his contract bearing the number one. The following year he purchased an entire block and erected thereon four cottages, which were the first in that vicinity. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to Omaha and with the life of the city he has been closely connected in many ways. He served as inspector, weighmaster and register of the Omaha board of trade and held that position during the existence of the board. When it was merged into the South Omaha Merchants Exchange he took charge of the same office, which he has since filled without opposition, having a clean record during all these years. He was appointed by Governor Mickey as one of the first members of the fire and police board, on which he served for four years. His entire course has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty and loyalty to every trust reposed in him, public or private. In politics he is a republican, moderately active as a party worker but a strong believer in the party principles as effective forces in good government.

At Plainwell, Michigan, on the 19th of March, 1879, Mr. Masson was married to Miss Ella L. Millspaugh, who was born in Macomb county. Michigan, a daughter of Charles and Martha (Corbin) Millspaugh, the latter a daughter of Samuel and Delia Corbin.

Mr. Masson attributes not a little of his success to the assistance of his wife. While in Michigan he became a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He belongs to Trinity Baptist church at South Omaha, of which he was formerly trustee. His life has been well spent and in all of its relations has been honorable and upright, characterized by loyalty to the highest standards of manhood and citizenship.

Dr. Lynn Thompson Hall, physician and surgeon, although one of the younger representatives of the profession in Omaha, has already attained a measure of success that many an older practitioner might well envy. He was born in Davenport, Iowa, July 10, 1886, a son of Charles and Lora (Thompson) Hall. In both the paternal and maternal lines he is descended from early American families and in both lines one of his great-grandfathers was a Revolutionary war soldier. The father, Charles Ellsworth Hall, was born in Michigan in 1861 and in 1884 wedded Lora Thompson, also a native of that state. In 191 1 they removed to Omaha, where they still reside, having in the meantime spent more than a quarter of a century in Iowa.

Dr. Hall completed a course in the Davenport high school and then entered Drake University at Des Moines, Iowa, where he completed his literary course with the class of 1907. He then entered its medical department and was graduated therefrom in 191 1. The same year he received a diploma from the University of Iowa. His initial professional experience came to him as interne in the Methodist Episcopal Hospital at Des Moines, where he remained for a year, at the end of which time he went to Harvard, where he further qualified for the practice of medicine by a year's study. He is numbered among the Harvard

Dr. Hall exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the republican party and fraternally is a Royal Arch Mason. He belongs to the University Club and to a college fraternity, the Phi Rho Sigma, being connected with iota Chapter of Omaha. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church and is interested in all of those forces which work for the betterment of the individual and the community. His military connection covers membership with Field Hospital Corps of the National Guard of Iowa, while at the present time he is a hrst lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps of the United States. He holds membership in the Omaha-Douglass County Medical Society, also in the Nebraska State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, and through the proceedings of those organizations as well as through independent reading keeps in close touch with the forward trend of the profession in its efforts to check the ravages of disease.

Wynn M. Rainbolt

Wynn M. Rainbolt, vice president and trust officer of the Peters Trust Company of Omaha, is widely known as one of the most reliable and progressive men who figure in connection with the financial interests of the city. He has been connected with the company since 1907, serving originally as secretary and since 1913 as vice president. He was born July 14, 1877, at Ames, Story county, Iowa. His father, N. A. Rainbolt, a native of Indiana, was of German descent. He prepared for the bar and devoted his life to the practice of law and banking. In 1882 he came to Nebraska, settling at Norfolk, where he continued in practice for a long period but there passed away in 1912, at the age of sixty-nine years. At the time of the Civil war he responded to the country's call for troops, aiding in the defense of the Union, and on one occasion he was wounded. He afterward maintained pleasant relations with his old military comrades through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, and he also belonged to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Congregational church. He was much interested in civic matters and gave loyal support to all those plans and measures which he deemed of value to the community. He wedded Mary R. Kingsbury, a native of New York and a representative of one of the old families of Elmira. She became the mother of two children, Wynn and Mrs. W. H. Bucholz. The mother still makes her home at Norfolk, Nebraska.

Wynn M. Rainbolt pursued his public school education in Norfolk, Nebraska, and his preparatory course in Andover, Massachusetts, where he was graduated with the class of 1895. He spent the succeeding five years at Harvard and won the A. B. degree in 1900. He also pursued a two years' law course in Harvard, after which he returned to Norfolk and entered the office of his father, who retired from active business, merely giving his attention to the supervision of his interests. Wynn M. Rainbolt. entering the Norfolk National Bank, filled the office of assistant cashier until 1906, when he resigned and returned to his father's law office. x\fter a short time, however, he removed to Omaha in 1907 and became connected with the Peters Trust Company, which he aided in organizing. He became its first secretary and filled that position until 1913. since which time he has been vice president and trust officer, having much to do m shaping the policy and directing the activities of the company. He has passed through all branches of the banking business and is thoroughly conversant with every working principle of the trust company, being a highly efficient and experienced officer. He is also conversant with legal principles, having been admitted to practice in the courts of Massachusetts after his graduation from Harvard and also admitted to practice at the Nebraska bar. His knowledge of law is of immense value to him in the conduct of his business interests.

On the 28th of June, 1905, in Norfolk, Nebraska, Mr. Rainbolt was united in marriage to Miss Margaret R. Weills, a native of New York and a daughter of the Rev. J. C. S. and Margaret (Isbister) Weills, both of whom are deceased. Her father was an episcopal clergyman of Norfolk, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Rainbolt have two sons, namely: Wynn Mack, Jr., who was born at Norfolk, Nebraska, October 24, 1906, and Duane Weills, whose birth occurred at Omaha, Nebraska, August 20, 1909.

Politically Mr. Rainbolt is a republican, well informed on the questions and issues of the day. He belongs to the University, Happy Hollow and Commercial Clubs and his religious faith is that of the Episcopal church. A man of liberal education, he has made it the source and stimulant of individual activity and in the direction of his labors he has achieved success and distinction as one of the representative linanciers of Omaha.

George H. Payne

George PI. Payne, president and founder of the Payne Investment Company, is one of Omaha's prominent citizens and a man who stands high in the business and financial circles of the city. Mr. Payne was born in Galesburg, Illinois, October 6, 1864, his parents being Charles H. and Sarah A. Payne, the former for many years a merchant in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where the family removed from Illinois when Mr. Payne was a small boy. After completing a common school course he studied for two years in the Iowa Normal College at Bloomfield and says that he secured the balance of his education in the university of experience. It seems to have been a thorough teacher, for he is regarded today as an alert, enterprising business man, one who operates extensively and successfully in the field to which he has directed his labors.

Mr. Payne came to Omaha in 1885 as a young man whose sole capital was his energy and push. He was not afraid of work, neither was he particular about what it was as long as it was legitimate. His first position here was carry^- ing water for a sewer gang working on West O street, near the Armour Packing Company's plant. Then he took a job as clerk with the O. F. Davis Company at thirty-five dollars a month, and slept in the rear office. Mr. Payne began the real estate business in a modest way on January i, 1891, and ten years later organized the Payne Investment Company, serving continuously ever since as its executive head and developing the foremost business of its kind in the west.

George H. Payne is truly an empire builder. His company has colonized large tracts of land in all parts of the country. It has sold scores of New York farms to western men, and in Louisiana, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado and Nebraska are thousands of acres, in some cases almost entire counties, which have been settled by this company. These large tracts are handled in their raw state, and whether in western Nebraska or in some distant part of the country, customers are taken in special trains to the land where they select their future homes. Only small cash payments are required and settlers are given long time and easy terms on the balance. In this way a tract of forty thousand or fifty thousand acres is sold in the course of a season or two. Towns spring up; the settlers' houses begin to dot the landscape ; school houses and churches appear and a new American community has been born. What was before an unproductive waste of wild prairie has, at the command of the empire builder, become a well settled, productive community of happy and prosperous homes.

Much of Mr. Payne's success as a colonizer is attributed to his policy - inflexible "as the laws of the Medes and Persians"^ - that no land shall ever be colonized by the company until it has been proved to his entire satisfaction that the farmer of ordinary ability, after making a small cash payment, can make the staple products of the land itself meet the subsequent payments.

Some idea of the magnitude of the company's operations will be had when it is known that the sales of farm lands alone have amounted to over thirty-five million dollars in the last twenty-five years.

Besides this enormous colonization business, the Payne Investment Company, through its city real estate department, has developed and sold out numerous city additions. It erected the first four large apartment houses here. It has acted as agent in the transfer of many business buildings, residences and lots in Omaha and maintains a well equipped and efficient rental department.

The company's loan department is a big business in itself, most of its loans being made on improved Nebraska farms. Besides selling mortgages to numerous savings banks and life insurance companies, it sells to many private investors. Mr. Payne is justly proud of the fact that during the past quarter of a century no purchaser of a Payne Investment Company farm mortgage has ever lost a dollar of interest or principal.

Mr. Payne was married at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1887 and has two sons, Richard F. and Phillip W. He is a member of the Commercial and University Clubs, and also belongs to the Happy Hollow Club of Omaha and the Hamilton Club of Chicago. He is a member and trustee of St. Mary's Avenue Congregational church and president of the House of Hope, a home for aged people. He is interested in various activities which have for their object the welfare and benefit of the city and the individual. During his residence of nearly onethird of a century in Omaha he has been active and helpful in about every movement that has had to do with the city's progress and betterment. There are few men of large private interests in the city who have felt a more hearty concern for the public welfare, and his activity in social and business circles is indicated by the high regard which is entertained for him.

Clay C. Clifton

South Omaha received from its early settlers an impetus toward its growth and progress that has not ceased to be felt. The city is especially indebted to the enterprising efforts of those men who in the early days became connected with the cattle and live stock industry here - an industry which has been the foundation of Omaha's greatness and prosperity and which has developed the city to its present high position as a center of the live stock trade of the country. The men who came here in an early day had foresight and courage and they laid the foundation for all that has since been wrought. The Live Stock Exchange at the Union Stock -Yards of South Omaha has been the real source of wealth to Nebraska's metropolis and its organization was due to about fifty of the early pioneers who saw the possibilities for the establishment^ of a great cattle and live stock market here, in the midst of a country which in its very nature must perforce become a stock raising center. These men, working harmoniously, builded even better than they knew. Only two or three of the original number are still actively engaged in the live stock business and one of these is Clay C. Clifton, widely known in his business connections throughout the entire country having won an unassailable reputation for honesty and fair dealing wherever the name of the firm is knowm. The sound judgment which he has manifested in his transactions and his indefatigable energy have constituted the basis of his continually growing success.

Mr. Clifton was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, on the i6th of May, 1848, a son of Levi and Sarah (Sowards) Clifton, both of whom were natives o'' the Buckeye state. They emigrated to Wisconsin in 1847 by way of the o\erland trail in a prairie schooner drawn by a pair of stout horses. The father engaged in contracting and building in Wisconsin for several years and then removed to I'eoria, Illinois, where he passed away in 1852, at the age of fortyeight. His wife survived until 1854 and died in Peoria at the age of forty-two. In their family were three children. One of the sons, Marion Clifton, at the outbreak of the Civil war enlisted in the Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry as a volunteer, participated in a number of engagements and was killed in action at the battle of Corinth, Mississippi. He held the rank of corporal at the time of his death. The daughter, Sarah Ann, became the wife of John Amsler, of McLean county, Illinois.

The younger son, Clay C. Clifton, attended the country schools and afterward the city schools of Bloomington, and ofi starting out in life on his own account entered the live stock and grain business in the early '70s at Wahoo, Nebraska. Extending his efforts into other fields, he became one of the organizers of the Saunders County National Bank. He came to South Omaha in the early '80s. He was one of the organizers of the Live Stock Exchange and is registered as the forty-sixth member. He entered into the live stock commission business here under the name of the Clifton Live Stock Commission Company and from its inception the business has been a growing and profitable one. By judicious management he has weathered all financial panics through which the country has passed at various times and has so directed the interests of the company that it has maintained an unassailable reputation in business circles. Mr. Clifton has always been the president and advisory head of the company and there is no feature of the live stock industry with which he is not thoroughly familiar.

In 1 87 1 occurred the marriage of Clay C. Clifton and Miss Lyda Doyle, a native of Kentucky, who died in South Omaha in 1888. They were the parents of five children. Claude, who was born in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1872 and was graduated from the Wahoo high school, is now married and is a member of the Clifton Live Stock Commission Company. Maude, born in Bloomington, Illinois, in 1875, is the wife of Samuel Shrigley. Ray M., born in Wahoo, Nebraska, in 1880, was graduated from the public schools of Omaha and is also connected with the Clifton Company. Lee Chester died at the age of three years and is buried at Wahoo, Nebraska. Imo, born in Wahoo in 1888, completes the family. In 1890 Mr. Clifton was again married, his second union being with Miss Emma Buse, of Omaha, and they have become parents of three children : Bess, who was born in Omaha in 1891 and is a graduate of the city schools ; Gale, who is also a graduate and who was born in 1894, and Martha, who was born in 1902 and is now attending high school.

In community affairs Mr. Clifton has ever taken a deep and helpful interest and at one time served as a member of the city council of South Omaha. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party, of which he is a stanch advocate, although not an office seeker. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his life has ever been guided by the teachings of the Christian church, of which he is a loyal member. In fact Omaha numbers him among its most highly respected and valued citizens a? well as its representative and prosperous business men.

John Kresl

John Kresl, secretary and treasurer of the O. K. Hardware Company, incorporated, doing business at 4831 South Twenty-fourth street in Omaha, is yet a young man but has already attained a place in commercial circles that many an older man than he might envy. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, May 17, 1887. His father, John Kresl, a native of Bohemia, made his way direct to Chicago on coming to America in 1882. After there residing for a number of years he removed to South Omaha, where he took up general work and is still active. He married Annie Knoll, a native of Austria, who came to the United States in 1883 and also went to Chicago, where she met and married Mr. Kresl. They became the parents of seven children.

John Kresl, the second of the family, was five years of age when the family came to Omaha, and attended the Lowell school on J street and afterward the Moser & Lampton Business College. When but eleven years of age he began providing for his own support, being employed in the tin shop of the Cudahy Packing Company, where he was first paid sixty-seven cents per day or four dollars per week. From that humble start he has steadily worked upward, becoming today one of the representative men of South Omaha. That he was faithful and capable is indicated by the fact that he remained with the Cudahy Company for seven years. He was next employed at teaming, and with fifty dollars which he saved from his earnings he purchased a team of horses and a wagon, giving his note for the balance of the payment. Thus he entered upon his first business enterprise which proved successful, and he continued his teaming business for four years, his earnings enabling him to continue his education in the business college as previously stated. After pursuing that course he obtained a position with the Rudolph Yechout Hardware Company, there learning the business in principle and detail. He continued with that company and its successors for three and one-half years, during which he carefully saved his earnings until he was able to purchase the business, which at that time was conducted by Oswald Keuchenhoff. He formed a partnership with Jacob U. Ulrich and the relation is still maintained, Mr. Ulrich being president of the O. K. Hardware Company, with Mr. Kresl as secretary and treasurer. They are now conducting a good business, owning the building in which they are located and they have one of the leading retail hardware stores of Omaha and the leading establishment of the kind in South Omaha.

On the 24th of June, 1912, in Tabor, South Dakota, Mr. Kresl was married to Miss Annie Souhrada, a native of Tabor, South Dakota, and a daughter of John and Mary Souhrada, who were pioneers of that state and are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Kresl have a daughter, Lucille Katherine, who was born in Omaha, December 14, 1914. The parents are members of St. Mary's Roman Catholic church and Mr. Kresl is identified with the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society. In politics he is a democrat. He belongs to the Commercial Club of Omaha and to the South Omaha Business Men's Association and he manifests a helpful interest in everything pertaining to the commercial development of the city.

Dr. Lee B. Van Camp, physician and surgeon, practicing in Omaha, his native city, and serving for the second term as county physician of Douglas county, was born in 1878. His father, Charles L. Van Camp, was a native of Bowmanville, Canada, born in 1852, and in 1861 he was brought to the United States by his parents, who established their home in Omaha before the present city had taken on metropolitan proportions to any degree. There he was reared and married Grace L. Bradley, who died in 1884.

Dr. Van Camp, having attended the public schools of Omaha, studied medicine in the University of Nebraska and was graduated with the class of 1898. His theoretical training was then put to practical test through service as interne in the Douglas County Hospital for two years, at the end of which time he opened an office and entered upon private practice. Already he has gained a notable place as a successful physician and surgeon and in 1912 he was appointed county physician of Douglas county, which office he filled for three years, and was then reappointed in January, 191 5, so that he is the present incumbent. For some time he has been chief surgeon for the McKeen Motor Car Company and is also surgeon for the Omaha Guards and he belongs to the Omaha-Douglas County Medical Society, the Nebraska State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

On the 22d of June, 1915, in Omaha, Dr. Van Camp wedded Miss Ethel M. Jenkins. They are members of the Episcopal church and are prominent in social circles. Dr. Van Camp exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the democratic party and fraternally is a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a charter member of the Field Club, through which connections he obtains recreation from the arduous professional duties which now claim the major part of his time and energies.

J. H. Forrest, a member of the Forrest & Meany Drug Company, of South Omaha, was born in Au Sable, Michigan, June 25, 1881, a son of Logan M. Forrest, a native of Nova Scotia and of English and Irish descent, and Mary Forrest, a native of Ireland, whose maiden name was Mary McGrath.

In the public schools of his native city J. H. Forrest began his education, which he continued in the University of Michigan, and on removing to Omaha in 1903 he entered Creighton College department of pharmacy, from which he was graduated in 1905 with the degree of Ph. G., having completed the full pharmaceutical course. For five years thereafter he was employed as pharmacist by the Melcher Drug Company of South Omaha and in 1910 he entered upon his first independent business venture, forming a partnership with J. P. Fenton, under the firm name of the Forrest & Fenton Drug Company. Their business was located at No. 3602 South Q street at the corner of Thirty-sixth and Q and was there successfully conducted for two years, at the end of which time Mr. Forrest sold his interest and established his present business at No. 4841 South Twenty-fourth street, entering into partnership with his nephew, Clarence Meany, under the style of the Forrest & Meany Drug Company. Their place of business is located on one of the most prominent corners of South Omaha and a liberal patronage is accorded them.

Mr. Forrest is a member of the Omaha Commercial Club and of the Seymour Lake Country Club. In his political views he is a democrat but has never been an aspirant for office. His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Forrest is a square deal advocate and his thoroughgoing business methods and sterling worth have gained to him a large circle of friends. While he started out in business in a small way he has gradually increased his trade through reliable, enterprising methods that have brought him to a creditable position in the mercantile circles of the city.

Oak Chatham Redick

Oak Chatham Redick is known as a man of marked public spirit and as a patron of art and music as well as a prominent business man, occupying a position of distinction as an attorney and capitalist of Omaha, his native city. He was born on the 8th of October, 1870, a son of Judge John Irvin and Mary E. (May) Redick, additional mention of whom appears elsewhere in this work.

In the schools of Omaha Oak Chatham Redick acquired his preliminary education, which was supplemented by study in Creighton College and in the Shattuck Military College at Faribault, Minnesota. He also attended the Los

Oak C. Kemck

Angeles University at Los Angeles, California, and following his return to Omaha was admitted to practice at the bar of Nebraska in 1893. He has since continuously been a representative of the profession in this city and his clientage has been of a most important character, connecting him with many notable litigated interests. He has furthermore extended his efforts in large measure into other fields and something of the nature of his activities is indicated in the fact that he is president of the Nebraska & CaHfornia Real Estate Company and president of the City Trust Company of Omaha, which he controls. One of the notable points in his business career has been his ability to quickly recognize opportunities, combined with a thorough understanding of every phase, every point of advantage and every point of difficulty connected with any undertaking. His sound judgment has prevented all unwarranted risks in the business world and his even paced energy has carried him forward to successful completion in whatever he has undertaken.

On the 14th of February, 1910, in Chicago, Mr. Redick was united in marriage to Grace L., daughter of Pierce C. Himebaugh, who was the founder of the Young Men's Christian Association of Omaha. Mr. and Mrs. Redick have a daughter, Grace Chatham, who was born April 14, 191 5.

In early manhood Mr. Redick was for a short time a member of the Omaha Guards. His political allegiance has always been given to the republican party and he is prominently known in club circles as a member of the Omaha, University, Country, Happy Hollow and Carter Lake Clubs. He is likewise a member of the Commercial Club and is connected with the Grain Exchange. Public-spirited activities have claimed of his thought,- energy and attention. He donated to the University of Omaha its first building, known as O. C. Redick Hall, which is used for art and music. He is much interested in politics and in fact is a close student of the important political, economic and sociological problems which are engaging the attention of- the foremost thinking men of the age.

Fred A. Cressey

Fred A. Cressey, a shoe dealer of South Omaha, was born in Rowley, Alassachusetts, August i, 1858. He is a representative of an old Massachusetts family dating its ancestry back to 1639, when the first of the name came from England and made settlement at Rowley. He was presumably a cabinetmaker by trade. Representatives of the family have been ever loyal to the interests of the country, and during the dark days of war have defended its interests as soldiers in the Revolution and in the Civil war. His father, JoJin S. Cressey, also a native of Massachusetts, was a carpenter by trade. During his later years he became a resident of Omaha and his death occurred at the age of seventyfour years. He married Betsey Kelsey, a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and a descendant of an old New Hampshire family of English l-neage. She passed away in Massachusetts. In the family were four children who reached adult age, Fred A. being the eldest. The others are : William, living in Oakland, Iowa ; Mrs. John F. C. Stevens, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and Charles.

Fred A. Cressey was educated in the public schools of Massachusetts and in the Putnam high school, an endowed institution of learning. Fle started out to earn his livelihood in Avoca, Iowa, when a youth of nineteen and was first employed as a clerk in mercantile lines. In 1891 he came to Omaha and immediately entered the retail shoe business with a small stock of goods. He has since been connected with the trade and has constantly enlarged his stock to meet the growing demands of his business. He is today one of the oldest merchants in his line in South Omaha. His first store was at No. 2509 N street and at the present writing, in 191 7, he is located at 4822 South Twenty- fourth street, where he has a large and modern store. He also is owner of a branch store at Fairbury, Nebraska, conducted by his son. He possesses industry and determination, which qualities constituted his capital and have been the foundation of his substantial success.

In 1882, at Avoca, Iowa, Mr. Cressey was united in marriage to Miss Anna Richart, a native of Iowa and a descendant of an old family of that state, her parents being the late Aaron and Eliza (Williams) Richart. Mr. and Mrs. Cressey have a son, Ralph E.. who is associated with his father in business, conducting the branch store at Fairbury. Politically Mr. Cressey is a republican and fraternally is a thirty-second degree Mason. He also belongs to the Omaha Commercial Club and the South Omaha Business Men's Association. He belongs to Grace Methodist Episcopal church, is one of its trustees and a member of the official board and is very active in the church work, doing everything in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. His life has been guided by its teachings and his record of honorable success may well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement to others.

Rt. Rev. Arthur Llewellyn Williams, Episcopal bishop of Nebraska, was born at Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, January 30, 1856. His father, Richard Jones Williams, was born in Carnarvon, Wales, May 10, 181 1, and in 1825 accompanied his father to Canada, where he was reared, completing his education by graduation from McGill University in Montreal. For fifty years he was active as a minister of the Presbyterian church and his influence was of no restricted order. He was married in Canada to Elizabeth Johnstone and in 1859 they removed to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, spending many years in that state, although subsequently they took up their residence in Wisconsin. Mrs. Williams passed away in 1857 and in i860 Richard J. Williams was again married. Miss Amanda Pease becoming his wife. He died in Nevada in 1881, while his second wife survived until 191 3, passing away in Cumberland, Wisconsin, at the age of ninety years. His family numbered five sons and five daughters, of whom Bishop Williams was the ninth in order of birth and is the only surviving son. However, he has four sisters who are yet living. His brother, John W. Williams, left the sophomore class of Oberlin College at Oberlin, Ohio, in 1861 and enlisted as a private in the Tenth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, in which he rose to the rank of first lieutenant and later was brevetted captain. He was killed at Atlanta in 1865 and was laid to rest in the National cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

Bishop Wijliams completed his public school education by graduation from the high school in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, with the class of 1872. Later he entered Greenwich Academy at Greenwich, Rhode Island, and is numbered among its alumni of 1877. Turning his attention to the railroad business in Colorado, he spent six and a half years as traffic agent for the Denver, Utah & Pacific Railroad, now a ])art of the Burlington system, but becoming imbued with the desire to devote his life to the upbuilding of the cause of Christianity, he entered the Western Theological Seminary of Chicago in 1886 and was graduated therefrom in 1888 with the degree of S. T. B., while in igoo that institution conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was ordained deacon by the late Bishop John F. Spalding in St. John's cathedral at Denver, Colorado, on the 22d of May, 1888, and on the 3d of June, 1889, was advanced to the priesthood by the same prelate. In June, 1888, he was sent as a missionary to White River valley, Colorado, being the first clergyman of any denomination in that territory. There he remained for three years and in 1891-92 was rector of St. Paul's church in Denver, at the end of which time he was called to Chicago to accept the position of rector of Christ church, where he remained until October,

Et. Rev. Arthur L. Williams

1899, when he was consecrated coadjutor bishop of Nebraska in Trinity cathedral ot Omaha on St. Luke's day, the i8th of October. He became bishop in succession January 7, 1908, and stiU fills that high position.

On the 18th of October, 1881, in Boston. Massachusetts, Dr. Williams was married to Miss Adelaide L. Makinster, a daughter of the late R. W Makinster a native of Holyoke, Massachusetts. They have one child. Lenore Ethel.

Bishop Wilhams gives his political allegiance to the democratic party but has never been an active party worker. He is a Master Mason, beloncrincr to George W. Lininger Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He is also an honorary member of the Omaha Field Club and a member of the University Club. One who knows him said of him: "He is highly educated and in appearance and manner is all that a bishop is expected to be." While holding strictly to the tenets of his church in his teachings he is at the same time a man of broad sympathy and is continually reaching out a helping hand wherever humanity needs assistance. His scholarly attainments are manifest in his discourses, and the earnestness and eloquence of his speech have done much to promote the cause to which he has consecrated his li^.

George W. Briggs

George W. Briggs is an active business man of South Omaha, engaged in plumbing, drain laying, gas fitting and all kinds of tin, copper and sheet iron work. He was bom in Northfield, Washington county, Vermont, January 28, 1854. His father, George Briggs, was also bom in the Green Mountain state and belonged to one of its old families. The grandiatjtff'Btiggs became a pioneer settler of Washington county and the farm whibh Re'/gecured was a comparative wilderness. He cleared away the timber and develojied his fields, spending his remaining days upon it, as did his son, George Briggs. In fact the old homestead was the birthplace of both George and George \V. Briggs and it is still in the possession of the family. After the death of the father, George Briggs, in 1857, it remained the home of his widow and her family until 1865 and then became the home of an older sister of George W. Briggs. George Briggs was a successful farmer and was a man of high ideals, greatly respected in the community in which he lived. He wedded Mary Lane, a native of Alassachusetts and a descendant of an old family of that state. She passed away in 1865, at the age of forty-six. Of the four children in the family one died in infancy.

George W. Briggs continued upon the old homestead farm in the Green Mountain state until he reached the age of sixteen, when he entered upon a three years' apprenticeship to the tinner's trade, which he afterward followed as a journeyman in Vermont for a year, ^^'hen he reached the age of twenty he began business on his own account in Northfield, where he remained for two years. Learning of the great opportunities of the west, he concluded to see the country, and if conditions proved as he had anticipated, to remain. Accordingly in the spring of 1882 he started for the country beyond the Mississippi and first located at Idagrove, Ida county, Iowa, where he was employed by the firm of Smith & Gilbert. He was afterward in the employ of E. A. King for three years, later the firm of King & Mathews, and on the 5th of Ajjril, 1887. he reached South Omaha, where he has since made his home. For the first six months he was employed at his trade and then entered business on his own account, beginning in a comparatively small way. Since then he has Iniilt up the largest plumbing, tinning, copper and sheet iron work business in South Omaha, his books showing an increase in his trade year by year. He now gives employment to an average of fifteen skilled workmen and in addition to his activities along the lines indicated he does an extensive heating installation business. In a word, his patronage has reached large and gratifying proportions, so that his financial condition is in marked contrast to what it was at the outset of "his business career, for his first salary was twenty-five dollars per year and board, and during the second year of his apprenticeship he received fifty dollars. He is thoroughly familiar with every branch of the work and his expert knowledge, based upon broad practical experience, enables him to wisely direct the labors of those whom ho employs.

In 1881, at Jeflferson, Iowa, Mr. Briggs was united in marriage to Miss Nina Cooper, a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of Samuel B. and Catherine (Tegard) Cooper, who were early settlers of Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs became the parents of three children, one of whom survives, Mildred. Where national issues are involved Mr. Briggs votes with the democratic party, but at local elections casts an independent ballot. He belongs to the Master Plumbers Association and also to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His time and interests have largely been concentrated upon his business afi^airs and it has been this close application and determined purpose which have constituted the measure of his continually growing success.

Frederick Hunzicker

Frederick Hunzicker, president of the W. H. Beckett Lumber Company of South Omaha and residing at No. 13 18 South Ninth street, in Omaha, is numbered among the men of foreign birth who have become substantial and valued residents of eastern Nebraska and who through their enterprise and business ability have contributed much to the upbuilding of this section of the state. He was boni in Argau, Switzerland, March 13, 1856, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Weis) Hunzicker, both of whom were natives of Switzerland. The father devoted his life to farming but passed away during the childhood of his son Frederick and the mother died in Switzerland in 1906 at the age of eightyfive years.

Mr. Hunzicker of this review was the only child of that marriage. In early life he attended the schools of Switzerland and when his textbooks were put aside he entered upon an apprenticeship to the builder's trade in that country, being employed along that line until he decided to come to America in 1880. The following year he arrived in Omaha, where he began carpentering on his own account. Later, however, he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad Company as a carpenter and was thus engaged for two years. In 1885 he established what was known as the European Hotel, of which he became the proprietor and which he conducted along the most successful lines for thirty years. He sold out his business, however, in 191 5 and has since confined his attention to the management of his investments and his building operations. He is today president of the W. H. Beckett Lumber Company, which is one of the leading lumber firms of South Omaha, with offices and yards located at No. 4801 South Twenty-seventh street. Whatever he has undertaken he has carried forward to successful completion and his energy and diligence have constituted important factors in his growing success.

On the i6th of November, 1886, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hunzicker and Miss Lizzie Foscher, of Saunders county, Nebraska, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Christian Foscher, who were pioneer settlers and prominent people of that county. Mr. and Mrs. Hunzicker have become the parents of three children, but Frederick, who was born in 1893, passed away in 1896. The others are as follows: Lula, who was born in Omaha in 1887 and was graduated from the Omaha schools, is now the wife of Dr. Joseph M. Terringer and has one child, Joseph Fred. Ruth, born in Omaha in 1894, is the wife of Morris P. Griffin, and they have one child, Frederick Joseph. Both daughters are public

Mr. and Mrs. Hunzicker hold membership in the Lutheran church and he gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He belongs to the Swiss Society, of which he has been president for the past seven years, and thus he keeps in close touch with his fellow countrymen. He came to America a poor boy but by thrift and industry has achieved success and is today the owner of considerable valuable real estate in Omaha, including a fine residence, while he and his wife are numbered among the most respected residents of the city.

Hon. George S. Colllns

Hon. George S. Collins has for a considerable period been connected with official service in Omaha and his devotion to duty in public office has made his record an unassailable one.. He is now connected with the office of city and county treasurer as tax collector. He was bom July 22, 1882, in A\'alnut, Iowa. His father, John Collins, a native of Ireland, came to xA.merica in 1852 at the age of sixteen years and settled at Baltimore, Maryland, where he engaged in the business of handling oysters. He remained in the east until the latter part of 1S82, when he purchased a farm near Neolia, Iowa, and followed agricultural pursuits there for a number of years. In 1890 he became a resident of South Omaha, where he lived retired until his death, which occurred when he w^as sixty-one years of age. He married Hattie Stanton, a native of Ireland, who during her infancy was brought to America by her parents, who settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was reared and educated. The famil}' afterward removed to Muscatine, Iowa, and there she met and married Mr. Collins. Her death occurred in Los Angeles, California, January 18, 1913, when she was sixty-two years of age. In the family were ten children, of whom George wS. was the sixth, and six of the number- reached adult age. The parents were both devout members of the Roman Catholic church and Mr. Collins was a democrat in his political belief.