Milwaukee County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1909 (part 32 of 35)

Herman O. Neidner is one of the typical German-Americans who has not only contributed to the material prosperity of the great city, but has developed one of the finest industries and he has been an important factor in shaping the artistic tastes of the community. Of artistic temperament he has established a business in harmony with his tastes and built up an establishment that is the result of culture and unresting industry. Herman Neidner is a native of Milwaukee, born there on July 26, 1857. His father was Herman O. Neidner, born in Saxony, Germany, in 1830, and his mother was Theresa (Wolf) Neidner, also born and reared in the old kingdom of Saxony. The elder Neidner immigrated to America and located in Philadelphia, where he engaged in work as a carpet weaver, the trade he had learned in the old country. He was a man of fine mind and a genius along mechanical lines, and as a result of his natural ability and strict attention to duty he became foreman of the largest weaving concern in Philadelphia at that time. After remaining there for some time he moved to Milwaukee and established a weaving factory of his own on East Water street, which he conducted with great success for twenty-five Years. Subsequently he moved to Chicago, where he conducted a still larger weaving business and remained in active life until his death. Herman received an excellent education in the public schools of Milwaukee, then attended Engleman's Academy, an'd he took a course in the Spencerian Business College to fit himself for the affairs of life. After finishing his studies he worked from 1873 to 1876 with Davidson & Sons, learning the art of marble sculpturing-. Subsequently he spent one year in the East, 'tending bar, and while there met some English workmen in New York city, who w-ere experts in laying floor tile, and through them Mr. Neidner became interested in such work. He bought the tools for tile-laying while in Philadelphia and he spent one year with the firm of Shoppers & Watson in Philadelphia, perfecting himself in the manufacture and laying of various kinds of fine tile. In 1878 he had become so proficient that he worked two years for Henry Dibbley at 268 Wabash avenue and received a salary of $1,800 a year, a large amount at that time. Mr. Neidner came to Milwaukee "in 1882 and began to work for the Matthew Brothers at $1,500 a year, and he remained with the firm until it failed in 1889 and was' bought out by Lapham. That same year he began business for himself in small quarters on East Water street, in the Lavey building, but in two years his trade increased so rapidly that he was Eorced to find larger rooms, and in 1891 he located on Milwaukee street on the site of the present new Wells building. When that property was bought for the erection of a large office building, Mr. Neidner moved to his present quarters, at 59 Oneida street, where he has the first floor and basement and carries over twenty thousand feet of tile in stock. The concern employs about fourteen men and is one of five such establishments in Milwaukee. Mr. Neidner fills contracts all over the state, and his artistic ability has become so well known that he is called upon to design and execute many fine and difficult pieces of work. In politics Mr. Neidner is a Republican, and he is also a member of the Builder's and Trader' Exchange and of the Knights of Pythias. On Nov. 2, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Neidner and Henrietta, the daughter of Peter Wittigj a well-known tailor of Milwaukee. Seven children have been born to bless this union : Tillie, a stenographer in her father's office; Lena, a stenographer in the Germania building; Herbert, who is managing a fruit farm in the state of Washington; Francis, Ollie, Eddie and William. The family are members of the Lutheran church.

Dr. Silas J. Sawyer, C. S. D., deceased, a successful dental practitioner for many years, and later a pioneer Christian Science worker in Wisconsin, was a resident of Milwaukee for some thirty years prior to his death. He was born in Brockport, N. Y., Oct. I, 1842, the son of Horace and Nancy (Hardy) Sawyer, also natives of the Empire State. Both of the parents lived all their lives in New York, and eventually died there without ever coming west. His father was a carriage manufacturer by trade, and also operated a hotel for three years. Our subject was the second child of a family, of three children. His older brother, Charles Sawyer, had an honorable record as a volunteer soldier in the Civil war. He enlisted in one of the New York regiments immediately after the outbreak of hostilities and upon the completion of his three years' term of service re-enlisted as a veteran for another three years, and served with credit until the close of the war. He died before the expiration of his second term. Dr. Sawyer received his early education in the public schools of New York state, and supplemented the same with an academic course at Clarkson, N. Y. He then decided upon the profession of dentistry as his life calling, and thoroughly prepared himself at Rochester, N. Y., for the work, becoming an efficient and prosperous practitioner. He first practiced at Rochester for a time and in August, 1861, came west to Delavan. Wis., and later practiced for a number of years at both Aurora and Rockford, 111. In 1875 he located in Milwaukee, where he continued to reside until his death, on Aug. 21, 1905. He followed his chosen profession with success for a number of years in Milwaukee, and then became engrossed in the new faith of Christian Science. His attention was first directed to this faith in 1883, when he became deeply impressed by Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy's book,

"Science and Health," which seemed to him to promise relief to suffering humanity, and particularly to a member of his family who had been a chronic sufferer for many years, and for whom the medical profession could only promise temporary relief through a surgical operation. He therefore went to Boston, and after a personal interview with Mrs. Eddy, was so favorably impressed that he entered her class of instruction in December, 1883, and fitted himself to impart the knowledge thus gained to others. Returning to Milwaukee he began holding public meetings on Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings, and at once became active as a healer and teacher. He met with opposition and antagonism, but he endured unflinchingly all false accusations and persecutions, and was only too glad to surrender his lucrative dental practice in order to do his whole duty toward God and man as he saw it. Out of these early pioneer meetings of his grew the First Church of Christ (Scientist), which was organized and chartered in 1889, the church edifice on Van Buren street being erected in 1902. He persevered in his noble and unselfish work until his spirit took its flight in 1905, and in tribute to his memory it may truthfully be said that many lives were made better for his having lived. Dr. Sawyer had early inclined toward a religious life. He had been an active member of the Congregational denomination, and in Milwaukee was a faithful attendant of the Grand Avenue Congregational church ; he had successfully filled the offices of teacher, superintendent of Sunday school, and deacon of the church, and was particularly adept at imparting his thought and thorough knowledge of the Scriptures to others. His previous religious training was of immense service to him when he embraced the faith of Christian Science, and it enabled him to impart it to his listeners in the light of a practical demonstrable faith. He worked hard and untiringly, and achieved a marked success in his lectures and healing work. In the matter of politics Dr. Sawyer was always allied with the Republican party, though he never sought public preferment on his own behalf. He was a member of the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the Wisconsin Dental Association, and the Curling Club. His marriage occurred on Oct. 30, 1867, to Miss Jennie E., daughter of George and Alta M. (Davidson) Passage, of Delavan. Mr. Passage was the son of John and Eleanor (Correll) Passage, and was born in Duanesburg, Schenectady county, N. Y., on Feb. 5, 181 7. At the age of twentyone he went to Castile, N. Y., and for four years acted as manager of a hotel. He was married to Miss Davidson at Gainesville, Wyoming county, N. Y., on Feb. 26, 1840, and came to Delavan in June, 1842. He at once built a brick store, the first of its kind in the village, and began business in the mercantile line, in which he was continuously engaged for nearly forty-five years, up to the time of his death, as the result of a stroke of apoplexy, on May 27, 1887, which constituted him the oldest dry-goods merchant in Wahvorth county. He had other large and flourishing interests, farm lands, and grain elevators; and was considered one of the wealthiest men in the southern part of the state. Six children - one son and five daughters - were born to him by his first marriage, and one son by his second marriage, which was to Miss Anna Vanderpool, of Albany, N. Y., in November, 1867. Mr. Passage was a man of generous impulses and a great lover of music, lie had the credit of bringing to Wisconsin some of the finest carriage horses, shipped overland at the time of his coming, in 1842. He endured all a pioneer must of hardship and privation, often living in a few rooms that other early settlers might share his home, which was one of the most commodious in the village, until they could build temporary quarters for themselves. At the time of the erection of his first building all the material was hauled across the country by team from Milwaukee. Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer had no children; she was a devoted and loving helpmate to her husband throughout their married life, and still survives him, making her home at 497 Lafayette place, Milwaukee.

Cassius Miller Noyes, deceased, for many years a prominent figure in the mercantile circles of Milwaukee, was born at McLane, N. Y., May 19, 1845, tne son of John and Mary (Miller) Noyes. The father was a native of New York state who came west in 1855, and he was one of the pioneer settlers at Delafield, Wis., where he continued to reside. Some years before his death he retired from active life and lived very quietly. Mrs. Noyes was a native of Pittsfield, Mass., and was one of the brave women who came into the new western country, where she reared a family of seven children. Her death occurred in Milwaukee. Cassius, our subject, was the third child, and he was ten years old when his parents moved west. He attended the parochial school at Delafield, Wis., and after finishing his studies went to Oconomowoc, where he secured a position in a hardware store. In 1864 he came to Milwaukee and was associated with the Shepard Hardware Company for five years; then went to Chicago for a short time and became traveling salesman for Pierce & Whaling. His services were so efficient that he was offered a much better position with Jones & Laughlin, of Pittsburg, Pa., and accepted it. He remained with this firm until he established himself in the commission, real-estate, and iron business, with an office in the Loan & Trust building in Milwaukee. Mr. Noyes was very successful and continued to conduct his business until his demise, which occurred on July 5, 1906, after a life devoted to his family and the interests of his friends and associates ; unselfish, upright and kind. His death was a distinct loss to the whole community. In politics he was allied with the Republican party, and while stanch in his adherence to its principles, he was not of a nature to seek public office of any kind. St. James Episcopal church sustained in the death of Mr. Noyes, a severe loss, as he was a loyal and earnest member and worker in that organization. He was also identified with the Knights of Pythias. On Nov. 19, 1872, he married Dora, the daugter of Edgar C. and Abby (Warren) Jennings, of Milwaukee. The issue of this union were two children : Harry, connected with Wadham's Oil Company ; and May. Mrs. Noyes' parents were both natives of Connec- ticut, and after her father came west he was connected with the La Crosse railroad for ten years as auditor. He then resigned to accept a better position as cashier of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, and remained with the firm in this responsible position for thirty years. He was one of the oldest residents of Milwaukee and belonged to the West Side Old Settlers' Club. His death occurred on Feb. 17, 1897, and his widow lives in Chicago, 111. Charles Anthem Chapin, deceased, was prominently identified throughout his business career with the business interests of the city of Milwaukee, and that his energetic efforts were fully appreciated is evidenced by the fact that for a period of twenty-five years he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and was twice honored by being elected its president. He was descended from a long line of American ancestry, and more remotely his forebears were undoubtedly French Huguenots, who moved from France to England. From England, Deacon Samuel Chapin removed to America, where, in 1641, he took the freeman's oath. His wife's name was Cicilia Chapin, which is an old French-Huguenot name, and their descendants in a direct line to the subject of this review are : Josiah, Seth, Samuel, Ephraim, Artimus, David J. and Charles Anthem. These ancestors, as far as can be learned, were all strong characters, and representative men in their respective communities, and they were among the primitive aristocracy of New England, which was an aristocracy of intellect and moral worth, and not of blood or riches. "Her peerage and her knighthood were honors direct from the creative hand of God and not from the touch of a monarch. In Stearns Park, Springfield, Mass., stands a striking statue modeled by Augustus St. Gaudens, the late eminent American sculptor. It is the picture of a tall, stalwart man, past middle life and clad in the Puritan garb of 250 years ago - a broad-brimmed, steeple-crowned hat, a long close-fitting doublet, bagged breeches fastened at the knees, and over all the enormous cloak of that period. The thrown-back folds of this cloak reveal in the statue's left hand a large Bible with brass nails and iron clasps, and in its right hand a ponderous oak staff planted firmly on the ground as the statue seems to be moving forward. The face is massive, the nose straight and prominent, the chin broad and determined, the mouth large and compressed, and so much as can be seen of the forehead is bold and protruding. He clutches tightly his oaken staff, and as he strides forward there is a fixed resolute look in his face and downcast eyes as if the weight of the colony were on his shoulders, but he felt fully able to support it. This statue is intended to represent Deacon Samuel Chapin, who immigrated to New England prior to 1636, and settled at Agawam, now Springfield, in 1641, and from whom Charles A. Chapin was descended. Artimus Chapin, the grandfather of our subject, was a man of great force of character, who followed the plow in early life, but who later on became a well-known Baptist minister. He possessed great energy and considerable education and refinement, and he did much grind work and had an influence for good that extended over a large territory. He reached the good old age of eighty-four years. The maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Jewett, who, like himself, was a native of Massachusetts. They were the parents of five sons and one daughter, and of these David Jewett Chapin, the father of Charles A., was born in Springfield, Mass., in 1802. He was reared on a farm and possessed considerable literary and biblical education, being an earnest Christian but not united with any church. He removed to Oneida county, N. Y., in early manhood, and there followed farming until 1863, when he came to Wisconsin and purchased a farm near West Salem, La Crosse county. Later he removed to Clear Lake, Iowa, where he lived in retirement until his death in 1876. He was prosperous in business, and reared a family of five sons and one daughter that reached maturity. Their names are: Emery D., deceased, George L., John M., Eliza J., Charles A., and Albert L., the last two named being deceased. The mother of these children was Alice Glazier, who was born in Worcester, Mass., where she was reared and educated, and she died in 1865, at the age of sixtysix years. She was a noble type of true womanhood and possessed great physical and mental vigor, with which she endowed her offspring. Charles A. Chapin, to whom this sketch is more particularly dedicated, was born in Oneida county, N. Y., May 24, 1841. He was reared on the farm, where his muscles were hardened by daily toil in forest and field, which probably accounted in no small degree for his fine physique and bodily vigor. At the district school he made rapid progress, not on account of his brilliant scholarship, but by his perseverance and tenacity, and because he did all his work well, and left nothing for to-morrow that could be done today. At the early age of fifteen he was enabled to enter the Alford University in Allegany county, N. Y., in 1856. After one year of absence from study he again attended in 1858' and continued uninterruptedly till April, 1861. Then the wave of patriotism which rolled from ocean to ocean struck the university and Charles A. Chapin laid aside his books at the call of his country and enlisted as a private in Company K, of the Twenty-third New York infantry. This regiment was mustered into the United States service at Elmira on July 2, 1861, for a two year's term, and left the state for Washington on the 5th. For two weeks it was encamped at .Meridian Hill, but moved on July 23, to Fort Runyon and on Aug. 5, to Arlington Heights, where it remained until Sept. 28. On Aug. 4 it was assigned to Hunter's brigade; on Oct. 15, to Wadsworth's brigade, McDowell's division, and in March, 1862, to the Second brigade. Third division, First corps, Army of the Potomac. Its first encounters with the enemy were at Fall's Church, Ball's Crossroads, and Munson's Hill, and on March 10, 1862, the regiment moved to Centerville, but returned after five days to Upton's Hill. proceeded to Bristoe Station and Falmouth and undertook several expeditions with Falmouth as a base of operations. On June 26, 1862, the regiment was attached to the Third brigade, First division, Third corps, Army of Virginia, with which it shared in General

Pope's cmapaign, being in action at Rappahannock, Sulphur Springs, Gainesville and the second Bull Run. In September, the brigade and division became part of the First corps, Army of the Potomac, and fought at South Mountain and Antietam, and then encamped at Sharpsburg, Md., until Oct. 20, when the regiment moved toward Fredericksburg and was closely engaged in the battle there in December. Winter quarters were established at Belle Plain, and on Jan. 9, the regiment was transferred to Patricks' provost guard brigade, with which it served until the expiration of its term, stationed at Acquia Creek in April and May, 1863. On June 26, 1863, Mr. Chapin was mustered out at New York city,, having participated in all the services of his regiment and been promoted to the rank of sergeant in his company. In a skirmish near Orange Court House, he received a memento of the war in the shape of a bullet, which he carried in his body the remainder of his life. Returning home, he re-entered the university and graduated in June, 1864. Desiring to study law, he entered the office of A. S. and G. M. Diven, and was admitted to practice in June, 1866. He followed his chosen profession at Elmira, N. Y., with Thurston, Hart & McGuire till the following September, when he came to Milwaukee. Here he engaged in the milling business as head of the firm of Chapin, Miles & Company, and was interested in the concern till 1869. For the next five years he was foreman for J. B. Martin in the milling business, both at Milwaukee and Newark, N. J. In 1874 the firm of Chapin & Company was formed, which did a general shipping trade in flour, grain and mill feeds, and which he conducted successfully until about one year before his death, which occurred Jan. 2, 1906. He had branch offices in Minneapolis, Boston, St. Louis and Buffalo. The business is still continued by the widow and sons, who are partners therein, and are fast winning recognition for themselves in the commercial world. Mr. Chapin was identified with nearly every good enterprise that went toward benefitting the city of Milwaukee, and the business men of the city always appreciated his energetic efforts. For seven years he was a member of the board of arbitration, and served five years on the board of directors of the chamber of commerce. As a citizen he served his fellow townsmen in the capacity of supervisor for two terms, 1878 to 1880; he was chairman of the committee on roads and bridges, and superintended the building of the Blue Mound viaduct. The county insane asylum was also built while he was in office, and he served on the building committee. He served two years on the finance committee of the school board, was its chairman one year, and in all positions he accomplished good results. Politically he was a leading Republican and took an active part in local and state politic.-, from [876 till 1888. He was chairman of the county committee for four war-, and chairman of the committee of one hundred for two years. He was elected a delegate to the national convention, held in Chicago in June, 1888, at which Benjamin Harrison was nominated for president, and elected the following November, Mr. Clapin taking an active part in the campaign. His religious affiliations were with the Calvary Presbyterian church, and lie was the efficient superintendent of

Sunday-school for a number of years. Among the fraternal societies, clubs, and other associations with which he was connected may be mentioned the National Union, the Recreation Club, the Blue Mound Country Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Whist Club. On May 14, 1868, Mr. Chapin was married to Miss Belle Wheeler, of Wirt Center, N. Y. She is a daughter of Calvin and Phoebe A. Wheeler, who were honored pioneers of that place, but natives of Massachusetts. The father wras a farmer by occupation and retired a few years before his death, which occurred in October, 1896, at the age of eighty-five years, the mother dying in July, 1897, at the age of seventy-five. To Mr. and Mrs. Chapin there were born nine children, of whom the following mention is appropriately made in collection with this review : Jay is a resident of Chicago; Robert W. is the president of the Chapin Company at Buffalo, N. Y. ; Jennie resides in Colorado ; Charles J. and George M. reside in Milwaukee and are connected as partners with the Chapin Company; Josephine resides in Chicago; Marguerite and Mary are at home ; and Chester W. resides in Chicago, where he is connected with the Chapin Company at that place.

Hon. William J. Cary, the present representative of the Fourth district of Wisconsin in the House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States, has a most enviable record as a public servant. He is a native of the Cream City, having been born here in 1865, the eldest of a family of six children. When he wras but thirteen years of age his parents' death left the family without means of support, and after obtaining a home for his four sisters and a brother in an orphan asylum, he left St. John's school, which he was attending, and secured a position as cash boy in T. A. Chapman's dry goods store. When he left his position at Chapman's he became a messenger boy for the Western Union Telegraph Company, and taking advantage of his spare moments he learned the art of telegraphy. By 1883 he was made an operator, and a year later, when but nineteen years of age, he had managed to save enough of his earnings to take his brother and sisters from the asylum and establish a home for them. He continued his service as an expert telegraph operator until 1904, only resigning when he was elected as sheriff of Milwaukee county. Mr. Can's career as a public servant began in 1902, when he was elected as one of the aldermen from the Seventeenth ward. One of his first public acts was the introduction of a resolution demanding an investigation of the coal supply of the city during the coal famine of the winter of 1902 and 1903. The resolution also proposed the establishment of a city coal yard, the city to buy coal and sell it to the poor people of the city for the cost of the fuel and the cost of its transportation. The resolution resulted in an investigation by one of the Milwaukee papers, which proved that the coal dealers of the city had a supply on hand and were holding it for higher prices. Another of Mr. Can's acts as city legislator was his refusal to audit the bills of the Milwaukee Electric Lighting & Power Company for the street lights in the Seventeenth ward, maintaining that not more than fifty per cent, of the lights had given service, and he demanded that the company give rebates on all lamps which were not lighted. The matter was held up for some time, and was not finally settled until the council voted to pay the bills without Mr. Cary's O. K. on them. In the fall of 1904 Mr. Cary was the choice of the people of Milwaukee county for sheriff, and he served in that capacity with such ability and satisfaction to all concerned that his constituents determined not to allow him to retire from public life ; and in the fall of 1906 they elected him as the representative of the Fourth Wisconsin district in the lower house of the national legislature. There, as elsewhere, he has been a credit to his state and has won high honors for himself. He is one of the few Republican members of the lower body who have held out against the autocratic power of the speaker, and he has done much to further the interests of the people. As a member of the Committee on the District of Columbia he held up several bills, the object of which was to further the interests of lighting and other corporations. He was instrumental in securing for the city of Washington a gas rate of 85 cents, the former rate having been $1.25, and the reduction resulted in the saving to. the city of about $2,000,000 annually. As an evidence of the fact that Congressman Cary's ability is appreciated by his constituents and the people of Milwaukee is the generous indorsements given him for renomination at the primaries of Sept. 1, 1908, and his overwhelming defeat of his Democratic and Social- Democratic opponents in the election of Nov. 3, 1908. Mr. Cary owns a beautiful home at 666 Wentworth avenue.

Lynn S. Pease, one of the leading attorneys in the city of Milwaukee, was born at Oxford, Marquette county, Wis., Feb. 15, i860. His parental ancestors are remotely of German origin, coming down through a long residence in England and through the American stock of Colonial days, Mr. Pease representing the seventh generation born on American soil. The common ancestor of the late Gen. C. B. Chapman, of Madison, and Mr. Pease was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and bore the name of the latter. On the maternal side the ancestry is English. The parents were Spencer A. and Julia A. (Older) Pease, the former born in New York Feb. 5, 1817, and died in 1884; and the latter, born near the city of Kenosha, May 12, 1827, died in 1906. They were married at Packwaukee, Marquette county. The father was a man of broad education, scholarly tastes, and of varied talents, having studied both as a lawyer and a physician, and beside acquiring proficiency in both of these exacting professions, he was also a journalist of prominence in the state, and took an active interest in political movements, serving as the representative from Montello and the adjacent territory in the legislatures of 1865, '66, '70 and '71. He was the proprietor as well as editor of the Montello Express, the county paper ; was president of the village board, and was without doubt the leading citizen of the community. Lynn S. Pease began his education in the public schools of Montello, was graduated from the high school in [879, and then taught for a time as principal of the graded school of the village, later entering the. University of Wisconsin, in which he received the degree of A. B. in 1886, with honors. Returning to hi> profession of teaching, he officiated as principal of the Montello ichool for a year and then took up editorial work on the paper which his father had owned and edited previous to his death. In 1889

While a student, both in the college of liberal arts and in the coll of law at the university, he was a prominent factor of the student body in many ways; was a member of the editorial staff on one of the university publications and editor-in-chief during his senior year. At the junior exhibition and the joint debate between the Athenian and Hesperian societies Mr. Tease was the unanimous choice of the Athian Society as their representative, but accepted only the selection as junior orator. While a student of the law a question arose in the attorney-general's office regarding the right of state treasurers to the interest on state funds in their possession, which later was brought into court in the well-known suits against the ex-treasurers. The question was tried in the "Moot Court" of the College of Law of the University, and Mr. Pease presided as judge. During the preliminary investigation by the attorney-general, his office was flooded with letters from prominent representatives of both parties, endeavoring to suppress the prosecution as a serious political error, but after Mr. Pease rendered an elaborate opinion on the case, which was published in a number of journals, the sentiment changed ; the line of argument and the principles laid down were what were followed in the actual prosecution against the ex-treasurers, and the attorney-general, J. S. O'Conner, and Col. W. F. Alias sent for and used copies of this opinion in the preparation of their briefs. It was also accepted by Dean Bryant of the college of law as Mr. Pease's graduating thesis. While prosecuting his law studies he acted as private secretary of both Justice Orton and Justice Cassoday. After graduation he was appointed superintendent of the State School for the Blind, at Janesville, remaining until 1895, and was then appointed lecturer on the law in the faculty of the University of Wisconsin, remaining there for one year. He went to Milwaukee in the spring of 1896 to actively engage in the practice of his profession. Soon afterward he was employed to investigate the condition of the Industrial School for Boys, at Waukesha. The Republican party being then in power and the superintendent being appointed through political influence, there was a popular clamor against the investigation, many believing it to be a political measure undertaken in the interests of the Democratic party, who employed a Democratic attorney to make the investigation. It proved, however, a necessary procedure to correct prevailing cruel practices and revolutionize the operation of the school. The superintendent was dismissed and the school reorganized upon a basis making the educational feature the dominant one, and the institution as at present conducted, one of the most useful of the state institutions, owes its revolution in method very largely to the disclosures made during that investigation; and Mr. Pease in the end gained much favorable notice for the spirit in which the investigation was conducted and for the results achieved. He has been greatly interested in the state institutions and charities ; was secretarv of the state conference of charities and corrections from 1891 to 1897, and since 1897 he has been a lecturer in the Milwaukee Law School, which became the College of Law of Marquette University in

1907. He is a member of the University fraternity, Psi Upsilon, of the law college fraternity, Phi Delta Phi, of the Milwaukee Bar and Wisconsin State Bar associations, of the Milwaukee Press and Athletic clubs, and of the Masonic bodies. He was married on June 28, 1887, by John Bascom, then president of the University of Wisconsin, to Miss Emma Ennever Nunns, daughter of Henry and Mary (Ennever) Nunns, of Madison, and their children are Spencer Adams, Mary Ennever, Frederick Jackson, and Harlow Heath, the last being named for Judge Orton.

Capt. Irving M. Bean, a Milwaukee manufacturer, is a native of the Empire State, having been born at Willsboro, Essex county, N. Y., April 27, 1838, a son of Jacob L. and Jane (McCullough) Bean. The father was a native of New York and the mother of Vermont, both born in the year 1810. They came to Milwaukee in 1840, and here Jacob L. Bean became identified with a number of important business enterprises. He erected Jthe American House, where the well-known Plankinton Hotel now stands, was actively interested in railroad building, and at one time was president of the Milwaukee & La Crosse railroad. After a few years in Milwaukee, the family removed to Waukesha, where the father died on May 5, 1855. His widow survived him forty years. Ancestors of Capt. Irving M. Bean fought on both sides in the Revolutionary Avar. His maternal great-grandfather, John McCullough, was an officer in the British army, and Humphrey Webster, a brother of his paternal grandmother, was a captain under Washington. Captain Bean received his elementary education in Milwaukee public schools and after the removal of his parents to Waukesha he entered Carrol College, wrhere he graduated with the degree of A. B. in 1857. He then entered the law schol at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., completed the course, and was admitted to the bar of the New York supreme court after an exhaustive examination as to his qualifications. Returning to Waukesha he formed a partnership with Calvert C. White and began the practice of his profession. In 1861 he came to Milwaukee and entered upon the practice of law in that city in partnership with Enoch Totten, which association continued until the outbreak of the great Civil war. In April, 1861, Mr. Bean enlisted as a private in Company F, Fifth Wisconsin infantry, of which company he was later made captain. The regiment was mustered in on July 24 and was at once ordered to Washington, where it was first attached to General King's brigade, but later became a part of th brigade commanded by Gen. W. S. Hancock. Captain Bean shared in the fortunes of his regiment until the spring of 1863, taking part in General McClellan's campaign on the Virginia peninsula, in which he was engaged at Williamsburg, numerous minor actions and the Seven Days' battles before Richmond, culminating in the battle of Malvern Hill. He was next engaged at South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. At Antietam Colonel Cobb, of the Fifth Wisconsin, was in command of the brigade. General Hancock being assigned to the command of the First division of the Second corps on the day of the battle, and at Fredericksburg the regiment was a part of Piatt's brigade of Howe's division, Sixth corps. On March I, 1863, Captain Bean resigned his command, and a few months later was appointed provost-marshal of the First Wisconsin district with the rank of captain, the district including the counties of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha. He continued to serve in that capacity until October, 1865, discharging his duties with marked ability and fidelity and receiving the highest endorsements of the war department. The following complimentary mention of Captain Bean is found in the official records of the Union and Confederate armies, Series I, Volume XI, Part I, Reports on pages 309-310, Battle of Williamsburg, by General Hancock: "Our skirmishers of the Fifth Wisconsin volunteers drove the enemy from the crest down the bank, across the bridge there and into their works. Our soldiers behaved with spirit. I may mention here the names of Captain Ross, Captain Bean and Lieutenant Oliver, of the Fifth Wisconsin volunteers." While serving as provost-marshal Captain Bean was elected president of the Forest City Bank and held that position for three years. In 1867 he was chosen president of the Northwestern Iron Company, which was organized in 1854, and held that office until his retirement from business on Jan. 1, 1908. In his political affiliations he is an unswerving Republican; has taken an active part in political campaigns ; is an earnest, eloquent and convincing speaker, but never has been a seeker for office. In 1875, through the influence of the United States senators from Wisconsin and without solicitation on his part, he was appointed internal revenue collector for the First district and served in that position for nearly nine years. Captain Bean is a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, in which he has served three terms as commander; belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and is a prominent member of several social clubs of Milwaukee and Chicago. He is a man of great public spirit, and it was largely due to his influence while serving as president of the Young Men's Library Association that the movement was started that finally resulted in the donation of the library to the city. On Nov. 24, 1868, Captain Bean was united in marriage to Miss Alice, daughter of Levi and Cynthia (Tiffany) Blossom, of Milwaukee, and to this union were born four children : Jeanette M., Sidney Alfred, Alice, and Irving McCullough, Jeanette M. married Edgar N. Dickson and has two children, Alice Irving and Philip Sidney; Sidney A., a resident of New York city, and an electrician, married Sallie Noble, but has no children; Alice died in infancy; Irving McC, assistant manager of the Northwestern iron works at Mayville, married Mabel Webster and has one daughter, Mary. Captain Bean's wife died in 1885.

Lewis Sherman, B. S., A. M., M. D., is a native of Rupert, Bennington county, Vermont, and was born on Nov. 25. 1843. His parents, William and Hannah (Lewis) Sherman, both natives of Rupert, the former born in 1822 and the latter in 1823. belonged to old Colonial families. One maternal great-great-grandfather of Dr. Sherman, Reuben Noble, and two great-grandfathers, Luke Noble and Enoch Sherman, were soldiers in the Revolutionary war, from Massachusetts, as was also a maternal great-grandfather, Job Willim Cleveland, also from Massachusetts. Dr. Sherman is distantly related through these ancestors to both General Sherman and the late President Cleveland. His parents came to Milwaukee in 1867, and there the father was engaged in mercantile business until his death, in 1891, his wife surviving him a number of years and passing away in 1907. They were both members of the Christian church, and they gave the money to build the church of that organization on the South Side, and which is known as the Church of Christ. Of their four children, only Dr. Sherman survives. The latter acquired his early education -in the public schools of Vermont and then became a student in the Academy of Washington county, New York, and later of Union College, New York, receiving from the latter the degrees of B. S. and A. M. Subsequently he entered the medical department of the University of New York, in which he received his degree of M. D. In 1870 he came to Milwaukee, where he began his professional career and where he has been in active practice since that time, being now one of the most widely-known and prominent physicians of the city. Dr. Sherman is a member of the Milwaukee Academy of Medicine ; the Homeopathic Medical Society of Wisconsin ; the American Institute of Homeopathy ; the Wisconsin Mycological Society, of which he is president ; the Wisconsin Natural History Society ; the Wisconsin Archaeological Society ; the American Association for the Advancement of Science ; the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters, and also to the Wisconsin Historical Society. In fraternal circles he is enrolled in the Masonic order, having taken the Thirty-second degree. In 1872, Dr. Sherman engaged in company with Dr. J. S. Douglass in the Milwaukee Homeopathic Pharmacy. Two years later Dr. Douglass, on account of advanced age, retired from the business and Dr. Sherman has since carried it on alone. He is also president of the Jewett & Sherman Company, engaged in the importation of teas, coffees, and spices, and the manufacture of baking powder, etc. Politically he is a supporter of the principles of the Republican party. In 1876 he was married to Miss Mary R. Turtle, of Scranton, Pa., and to this union four children have been born, namely : Gertrude, Leta, Helen, and Lewis Sherman, Jr., all of whom are living and all are graduates of the University of Wisconsin.

John H. Frank, M. D., one of the prominent younger medical practitioners of Milwaukee, was born in this city on July 17, 1870. lie is the son of John and Elizabeth (Just) Frank, the former of whom was born in Germany in 1844 and the latter in the Cream City in 1847. The paternal grandparents came to the United States from Germany in 1853 and located at Orange, Mass., where, until the time of his death, the grandfather was engaged in operating a mill. His wife also died there. The father, John Frank, learned the miller's trade at Orange. When but nineteen years of age, in 1863, he came to Milwaukee, and making this city his headquarters for several years drove a drygoods and notions wagon over the states of Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan. For more than thirty years he has been the traveling representative of the I [erman Toser Company, wholesale liquor dealers, with headquarters at 435 East Water streetj Milwaukee, and is today one of the oldesl and rnosl active men on the road. I lis territory includes Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. The maternal grandparents were early residents of Milwaukee and the grandfather was by vocation a --hoemaker, later serving the city as a member of its police force. The mother, Elizabeth (Just) Frank, took the long journey from which there is no return, in 1904. Six children were born to the parents, namely: Dr. John H. ; Alma and Laura, who keep house for their father at 858 Island avenue; Oscar, night clerk for the American Express Company ; Arthur, now filling a clerical position in the city, and Robert, deceased. Dr. Frank attended the public schools of Milwaukee, and the German-English academy, and took his degree as Doctor of Medicine at Milwaukee Medical College, now a part of Marquette University, in 1902. Immediately after graduation he established himself in an office at 819 Third street and has since enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. Although he has given staunch allegiance to the Democratic party, he finds no leisure from business affairs to devote to becoming a candidate for public office. While in college he became allied with the Alpha Kappa Kappa medical fraternity, and is also a member of the Alasonic order. Professionally he is allied with the Milwaukee County and the Milwaukee City Medical societies. On Nov. 18, 1908, occurred Dr. Frank's marriage to Miss Helen Harrmann, daughter of the late Richard Harrmann, a prominent stone mason of the city for many years.

Harry McCabe, M. D., a leading practitioner of medicine in Milwaukee, was born in Watertown, Dodge county, Wis. He is the son of Thomas and Catherine (Dugan) McCabe, the former a native of County Caven, Ireland, and the latter of Boston, Mass. The father was a private in the Twenty-third Illinois infantry during the Civil war and rendered distinguished service. Dr. McCabe received his preliminary education in the public schools of Milwaukee, and after graduation at the South Division high school entered the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons at Milwaukee, in which he graduated four years later with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Since that time he has been acting as a member of the faculty of his alma mater and interne at St. Joseph's Hospital, and he has come to be recognized as an authority in his profession. Reared in the Catholic faith Dr. McCabe is today one of the most devout communicants of the church of that denomination. Professionally he is identified with the American Medical Association, the State Medical Society of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee County Medical Society; and fraternally with the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Modern Woodmen of America. In the matter of politics he espouses the Democratic cause, but has never sought public preferment for himself. Dr. McCabe is unmarried.

John E. Eldred, Jr., an enterprising business man of the younger generation in Milwaukee, was born in the Cream City on Aug. 20, 1875, a son of John E. Eldred. He improved the opportunities afforded by the public schools of his native city, and after completing a high school course matriculated at Armour Institute, in Chicago. When the trustees of the latter institute had granted him a degree he returned to Milwaukee and entered the insurance business. This line of work has not only furnished him a livelihood ever since entering it, but has also grown to large proportions under his direction. In his political relations he is a staunch adherent of the tenets of the Republican party, but has never found the leisure to devote to becoming the candidate of his party for public office of any character. Like his father, he is allied in religious matters with the Presbyterian church. Probably nowhere is Mr. Eldred better known than in Masonic circles, having attained to the Thirty-second degree in the Wisconsin Consistory of Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret. He is actively enrolled in Lafayette Lodge, No. 265, Free and Accepted Masons; Calumet Chapter, No. 73, Royal Arch Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 24, Knights-Templar; Kilbourn Council, Royal and Select Masons; Wisconsin Lodge of Perfection, Wisconsin Council, Princes of Jerusalem, Wisconsin Chapter, Rose Croix, and Tripoli Temple, Ancient and Accepted Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Pie is also prominently identified with the Milwaukee Athletic Club. On May 7, 1902, Mr. Eldred was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Patton, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wilford M. Patton. They have no children.

Edward Payson Bacon, one of the most successful men among the pioneers of Wisconsin and one who may be said to have grown up with the manufacturing and commercial interests of the Cream City, prominently identified with the grain interests of this city and a leading member of the Chamber of Commerce for more than forty years, is the man who is the subject of this sketch. Edward P. Bacon was born in Reading, Schuyler county, New York, May 16, 1834, the son of Joseph F. and Matilda (Cowles) Bacon. He is descended from a long line of New England ancestors on both his father's and mother's side, who lived in Masachusetts and Connecticut for many generations. His grandfather was a fife-major in the Revolutionary war. On his mother's side he traces his ancestry back to John Cowles, who immigrated to Massachusetts from England about 1635. Mr. Bacon's father was reared upon a farm, but upon reaching his majority he determined to learn the tailor's trade, and followed this vocation for several years. When Edward was only four years of age his family moved to Geneva, X. Y., where his father was engaged in various pursuits. The family was not well-to-do and it was necessary for Edward to work when not in school and during his vacations. When quite young he was placed with a farmer by his father, but owing to some dissatisfaction he was removed, returned home at the age of eleven and again attended school. He was fond of stud)' and wanted to lit himself for college, hut had to leave school early and begin to earn his living. At thirteen years of age he was employed as an errand hoy in a store; he was industrious and soon was promoted to a better position. Two years later he left this work and entered an academy at Brockport, \. Y.. where he lived in the family of a cousin, who gave him a home. But in a few months hewas forced to give up his studies and he Found employment in a store in Brockport. but a year later entered the service of the New York & Erie Railroad, in May, 1851. as clerk in the freight office at Hornellsville, X. Y. lie remained in this employ four years, Jocated successively at Corning, Elmira and New York city. All during this period he clung to his early determination to enter college, but the necessity of aiding in the support of his father's family compelled him to abandon the idea. He rose rapidly in the service of the railroad, was promt from one position to another, and became chief clerk in the general freight office, having charge of the accounts with agents over the entire road. When the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana railroad, now the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, was completed to Chicago, in 1855, Mr. Bacon was offered and accepted the charge of the freight office of the road in that city, as he was far-sighted enough to see that there was more opportunity of advancement in railroad service in the West than the East. His idea in this regard proved true, and the following year he was appointed freight agent of the Milwaukee & Mississippi railroad at Milwaukee, the first road which was built west of Lake Michigan and north of Chicago. When the line was extended to Prairie du Chien, in 1857, Mr. Bacon was placed in charge of the entire freight department. I le remained in the service of the road nearly a decade and succssively filled the offices ol auditor, general freight agent and general ticket agent. He was placed in charge of the various departments when they were organized, and after systematizing them, turned them over to others and continued his work of organization. Mr. Bacon has the honor of being the inventor of the present coupon ticket ease, which is in general use all over the country, and the railroad men owe him a debt of gratitude for this convenient and labor-saving device. Mr. Bacon was not content to remain the paid employe of others, and in 1865 formed a partnership with Lyman Everingham, the freight agent at Milwaukee of the La Crosse & Milwaukee railroad, under the firm name of Bacon & Everingham. grain commission merchants. This new line proved most successful, but Mr. Bacon worked too hard and in 1874 withdrew from the partnership and devoted a year to travel and the recovery of his health. He then bought an interest in a wholesale grocery house and reorganized it under the name of Bacon, Goodrich & Company, bul he was nol satisfied with this line of business, and the three-year limitation under which he had sold out his commission business having expired, he formed a partnership with ( )ren E. Britt and M. P. Aiken. and again engaged in handling grain, under the name of E. P.

Bacon & Company. Mr. Britt having- become disabled in a railroad accident, the firm was dissolved in 1877 and the business was continued by Mr. Bacon alone until 1890, when two old and trusted employes, George H. D. Johnson and George W. Powers, were taken into partnership. This house is one of the largest of its kind in the Middle West, and the extent of its business is not exceeded, and probably not equaled, by any other house. Since 1865 Mr. Bacon has been associated with the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce and has always taken an active interest and played a conspicuous part in the commercial life of the city. In 1883 he was one of the leaders in a contest that was waged by the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce to secure better rates from the railroads having terminals in both Milwaukee and Chicago, which resulted in the establishment of more favorable freight rates, which were of great importance to the business interests of the city. Mr. Bacon was a member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce for ten years - six years as a director, two years as vicepresident and the last two as president of that organization. He has represented the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce at various commercial conventions, was elected to represent Milwaukee as a member of the National Board of Trade, and was elected vicepresident of that organization from year to year for five years, serving from 1884 to 1889. He was one of the committee from the National Board of Trade to urge the passage of the Interstate Commerce Act, at the time that bill was pending before Congress. At various times Mr. Bacon has been sent as a delegate to appear before different committees of Congress to oppose the adoption of free silver and to advocate various measures affecting the welfare of the commercial interests of this country. In 1892, at the time of the great Milwaukee fire, Mr. Bacon was the first to call a meeting of the citizens for the relief of the sufferers, and prompt action was taken to care for the many homeless. He has always been of a religious turn of mind and it was his purpose in early life to enter the ministry. When he first located in Milwaukee, in 1856, he affiliated with Plymouth Congregational church and was a member and active worker in that church for sixteen years. At the end of that time he transferred his membership to Immanuel Presbyterian church, with which he has since been connected. Mr. Bacon is always actively interested in the welfare of his fellow men and was one of those who were instrumental in the organization and establishment of the Young Men's Christian Association, of Milwaukee, in 1857, filling the office of vice-president and acting president of that organization for a periof of years. From 1879 to 1881 he served as president and placed the society upon a substantial financial basis, and it was largely through his efforts that the association secured one of the most practical buildings owned by any association in the Middle West. Mr. Bacon has been for the past sixteen years one of the trustees of Beloit College and has established a fund for assisting young men tosecure a college education, the thing that he so desired in his youth.

The oldest and youngest, both daughters - one in the bloom of young womanhood and the other a beautiful child- were taken from them by the angel of death within the span of a few short w< in 1879. Tlle other children were Lillian, the wife of Rollin B. Mallory, of Milwaukee, and Frank Rogers, now a prominent business man of Milwaukee. Mr. Bacon was bereft of his wife by death in 1892, and he was re-married in 1895 to Mrs. Ella (Dey) Baird, of Pelham Manor, N. Y., daughter of John II. Dey, for many years associate-editor of the New York Evangelist. Mr. Bacon has been foremost for many years in the movement to secure effective governmental regulation of railroad rates, both state and national, and he devoted a large share of his time for a period of six years in promoting national legislation on the subject, which resulted in the passage by Congress, in 1903, of the Elkins law, making the payment or the receiving of rebates a criminal offense; and in 1906 of the so-called Hepburn bill, enlarging the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and making its orders and rulings operative without resort to the courts for their enforcement. In this work he served as chairman of the executive committee, appointed by successive Interstate Commerce Law Conventions during the years 1900 to 1905, which consisted of delegates from nearly every state and territory in the Union, representing the principal commercial organizations of the country. Mr. Bacon is one of the best examples of what a man by his own perseverance, endowed liberally by the kind hand of nature, may accomplish by dint of hard work and unfaltering determination to succeed.

George D. Bailey, a prominent and active business man of Milwaukee, was born in England, March 21, 1856, the son of Moreton and Mary (Lane) Bailey, both natives of England, where the former was born on May 30, 1829, and the latter on Dec. 8, 1829. The paternal grandfather, Robert Bailey, died in England; but his wife, Jane, and five children, came to the United States and to Milwaukee in 1849, and there she died. In 1879 the father of our subject, who remained behind when his mother sailed, came to Milwaukee, where he and his wife died. He had been a mine owner and operator in England. His family comprised eight children, seven of whom are living. The maternal grandparents, Wiliam and Susanah Lane, both lived and died in England. Our subject wras educated in the English comon schools and came to the United States in 1879, engaging in the meat and .urneery business in 1884, in which business he continued until 1007. when he retired. On Nov. 25, 1886, he married Miss Mary L., daughter of Gottlieb and Catherine Bertke Seymer, and they are the parent- of two children: Edith Annie, a student in high school; and George Earl, deceased. Mrs. Bailey's father was a German by birth, born on May 8, 1836, and he came to Milwaukee with his father, .Michael, and stepmother, his own mother having died in Germany. Michael Seymer died in Milwaukee in 1896, aged ninety-two years, but his wife is still living here, aged eighty-two. Mrs. Bailey's mother was born in Oak Creek, Wis. Gottlieb Seymer's family was composed of twelve children, eleven of whom are living. He was a farmer for many years, but moved to Milwaukee in 1894 and there he now lives, having retired. He was elected city assessor for ten years in succession, and in all he served sixteen years in that office, as a Republican. Our subject is an Episcopalian in religious belief, while in politics he reserves the right to cast his vote unhampered by the party lash, and is therefore independent. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey are members of the Badger Humane Society, and she is also a member of the Milwaukee Chapter of the Eastern Star, of the Shrine, of the South Side Woman's Club, and of the School Alliance, while he is a member of Milwaukee lodge No. 261, F. & A. M. Mr.. Bailey, by rigid adherence to strict business principles, by careful attention and foresight, has made for himself a name in the business circles of this city that is enviable and worthy of emulation. In the period of a scant quarter of a century he has established a competency for his old age of which he is justified in feeling a little vain. In a business in which nine out of ten men fail each year, the man that succeeds eminently and in a comparatively short time stands out in bold relief among his fellows like a mountain rising from the plain.

Louis Elschner was born in Germany on June 7, 1858, a son of Henry and Wilhelmine (Selle) Elschner, both natives of Germany, who came to Milwaukee in 1884, and there the mother died on March 25, 1896, and the father is living a retired life. The family consisted of eight children, six of whom are living. Our subject was educated in Germany and came to the United States and Milwaukee in 1882 and there he worked for Jacob Weisel for three years in the sausage business. On Sept. 21, 1884, he engaged in the business for himself, in which he continued until 1907, when he retired, after being extremely successful in his line for thirteen years. On Sept. 20, 1884, he married Miss Bertha, daughter of Frederick and Carolina Hafemeister, both natives of Germany. Their union was blessed with four daughters : Lillie, Clara, Olga, and Edna. Our subject's first wife died on July 10, 1901, and on Dec. 24, 1902, he married Miss Julia C. Allen, by whom he has two daughters, Adelia and Gertrude. Mr. Elschner owns the Elschner Flats on First avenue, and a factory at 408 Walker street. In religion himself and his family belong to the Lutheran church, while in politics he belongs to the Republican party. Mr. Elschner made his own way in the world, unassisted. By a careful way of saving his small accumulations he has built up a nice little fortune for his old days, and his great success proves that small beginnings economically handled can produce profitable results.

John Walter Leonard, a well-known practitioner of dentistry in Milwaukee, wras born in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 31, 1872, a son of John and Agnes (Trudell) Leonard, the former of wdiom was born in Xew York city and the latter in Montreal, Canada. The parents came to Milwaukee in 1892. The father died on May 30, 1906.

During the Civil war he was a private in Compan) E of the Ninety-fifth New York infantry, and with his regiment participated in the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Rappahannock, the Wilderness and other smaller engagements. Dr. Leonard received his education in the public schools of New York city and the New Haven high school, and in [892 he came to Milwaukee with his parents. He immediately took up the study of dentistry and three years later began to practice. All during the time he was attending the dental department of the Milwaukee Medical College, in which he was graduated in 1900. he was active in practice. His thorough knowledge of his subject, gained b) practical experience as well as study, has won him a large clienl Professionally he is alied with the Wisconsin State Dental ciety, and in politics he is a staunch adherent of the tenets of the Republican party. Mis church membership is in the Congregational church of South Milwaukee. In 1892 Dr. Leonard was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Miss Berdella Mc- Govern, a daughter of Airs. Ellen McGovern. To bless the union of Dr. and Mrs. Leonard has been born one daughter, Agnes Louise.

Herman F. Franke, Milwaukee, Wis., a prominent gas and electric light contractor, whose business embraces everything pertaining to gas, electric, or gasoline lights, and who is popularly known as "the heavy light man," was born in the village of Lomira. Dodge county, Wis., Dec. 3, 1866. His parents were Ferdinand and Johanna (Hes Franke. the former of whom was a native of Hamburg, and the latter of Bremen, Germany. His father came to the United States in 1856 and located at Lomira, Wis., where he ran a blacksmith shop and conducted a general store. In 1886 he moved to Milwaukee, where he followed his trade of blacksmith and engaged in business f< >r himself up to the time of his death, which occurred < >ct. [9, [900, at the age of 67. He was highly esteemed by all who knew him as an honorable and upright man and citizen, of unimpeachable business integrity, and an indulgent husband and father, a faithful member ><\ the Lutheran church till his death. Herman E. grew to maturity in Wisconsin, received his edncation in the parochial and public schools of Lomira, and then served an apprenticeship of three years, learning the trade of a carriage wood-worker. He afterward worked a- a carriage wood-worker for the period of five years in St. Louis, Mo. Finally, in 1893, he settled in Milwaukee, where he worked at his trade for a year. In 1894 he embarked in his present business, which he at firsl conducted on a small scale. A> a result of his remarkable push, energy, and business skill, his business has expanded rapidly, until it I >wn into the leading enterprise of its kind in the city, and hi- r everywhere associated with the lighting business. In hi- political view's .Mr. Franke is a Democrat and a Single-Taxer, and in 1908 he was elected sheriff of the county of Milwaukee after a ver\ campaign, in which Mr. Franke was the onl> I the

Order of Odd Fellows; the Wisconsin Lodge No. 23, Knights of Pythias ; Lodge No. 46, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is treasurer ; Heptasophs ; Independent Order of Foresters; Calumet Club; Merchants and Manufacturers' Association; Greater Milwaukee Association ; United Commercial Travelers, and the Traveling Men's Protective Association. He was married on March 5, 1892, to Miss Amalia, daughter of Martin and Margaret Hahn, of St. Louis. His wife is a native of Highland, 111., and her father and mother are natives of Germany and Illinois, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Franke have one charming daughter, whom they have named Irma.

Henry Ferge, general contractor and manager of the Northern Construction Company (Incorporated), is a prominent man in building circles, whose enterprise and ability are generally recognized and whose opinion on all matters connected with his calling is always received with the greatest deference. He is a native of Milwaukee, of German ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Frederick Ferge, was born in Saxony, Germany, and was a pioneer of Milwaukee, where he arrived with his family in 1848. The great possibilities of the young country both attracted and held Mr. Ferge, and he continued to reside at the corner of Twelfth and Galena streets, his first home in the city, until his death. Of the children born to Frederick Ferge and his wife, Elizabeth, eight reached mature years : Charles H., Christopher, Martha, Johanna, Pauline, Matilda, Caroline, and Gottlieb ; but only one is living at the present time - Martha, wife of Charles Gunderman, of Kenosha. Gottlieb, a volunteer in the Twenty-sixth Wisconsin infantry, was killed at Gettysburg, the grave of so many noble men. Charles H. was born in Eisenach, Germany, at one time the home of Martin Luther. He attended school in Eisenach and learned the shoemaker's trade, at which he was employed in his native city until 1851, when he decided'to emigrate to America, where his parents had preceded him. He worked at his trade in Milwaukee for several years and was an active member of the Milwaukee volunteer fire department of his time, known as the old No. 2. In 1856 he took charge of the toll-gate on the Cedarburg plank road at Brown Deer and remained there until 1858, when he removed to Theinsville, Ozaukee county, and was engaged in hauling flour from Cedarburg and Theinsville to Milwaukee, in those days of slow transportation a profitable and necessary business. In i860 he purchased a farm of twenty-five acres near Theinsville, and this property he managed until he retired from active business in 1889, to make his home in Milwaukee, where he died on April 11, 1898. For thirteen years he was assessor of the town of Mequon, Ozaukee county, and he also served as chairman of the town board for several years. He was a staunch Democrat. Of the two children born to him and his wife, Marie (Kemp) Ferge, Henry is the only survivor. Henry Ferge was born in Mihvaukee, Aug. J5i T^53, educated in the old log district school in the town of Mequon and in the public schools of Theinsville, and he returned to Mihvaukee in 1870. For three years he was apprenticed to Louis

Vogel, carpenter and builder, and for six months wot"] a journeyman. He then established himself in busin< meral contractor, and shortly afterward associated himself with Philip K per, under the firm name of Ferge & Keipper. For nine years this firm carried on a remarkably successful business in Milwaukee, and during this time built the planing mill at the corner of Park street and Fifth avenue, which manufactured sash, doors and blinds, and is new known as the Interior Wood Working Company. Since the dissolution of the partnership of I Keipper, in 1896, Mr. Ferge has been in business for himself, and in connection with his work, he organized, in [900, the Northern (''instruction Company, of which he has always hern the active manager. The company has erected many notable buildings, among them the following: Court house and the addition to the normal school at Marquette, Mich.; the Munising count) courl house at Munising, Mich.; the paper plant in the same city; the addition to the asylum at Newberry, Mich. ; the addition to the School of Mines at Houghton, Mich.; the combined smelter at Houghton; the p office at Grand Haven, Mich.; the library building of the Lawrence University at Appleton, Wis. ; the postoffice a1 Marshalltown, Iowa : the postoffice at Baraboo: the addition to the Wausau postoffice, etc. The company is at present erecting the addition to the Sheboygan postoffice and the new postoffice at Mason City, Iowa, and also twelve buildings for the Naval Training Station at North Chicago. The woodwork in the Milwaukee City Hall, Public Library, and the Sentinel building, was superintended by Mr. Ferge, and his company also removed the old postoffice in Milwaukee and laid the foundations for the Wells Building, one of the handsomest office buildings in the West. Mr. Ferge erected the roundhouse and machine shops at Ahbottsford. Wis., for the Wisconsin Central railroad, and the sugar factory at Chippewa Falls. In Milwaukee he was identified with the construction of the Davidson and Bijou theaters, and with so many other of Milwaukee-- largest and most important structures that it would be impossible to mention them in brief space. At present Mr. Ferge has the contract for the carpenter work of the Xew Auditorium building. Mr. Ferge has not confined his efforts to his own personal advancement, but originated and promoted the organization oi the Milwaukee Builders' Exchange, of which he is a charter member, and was also active in the organization of the Builders' Club, of which he was firsl pn dent, and whose beautiful home is now the gathering place of men most distinguished in the profession, lie is a Republican in political sympathies, but his active life has left him little time or inclination to pursue political honor-. Mr. Ferge is a member of lumbia Lodge, No. n, Knights of Pythias. On May 3, [877, Mr. Ferge was married to Miss Caroline Frentz, daughter of John and Dorothv Frentz, of Milwaukee, and three children have gladdened their delightful home: Richard. Alma, wife of Dr. Edward Timm : and Harrv.

John Henry Kopmeier is the president of the Wisconsin Lakes Ice and Cartage Company of Milwaukee, and with the exception of a few years of his earliest childhood, he has spent his entire life in the ice business. From assisting his father as a boy of eight years on the ice fields he has" steadily risen until to-day he is at the head of the largest Wisconsin company harvesting and selling ice and having practical control of the business in Milwaukee, the metropolis of the state. Mr. Kopmeier was born at 411 Reed street, Milwaukee, Feb. 16, 1854, the son of John T. and Mary Adelaide (Allen) Kopmeier. He was educated in the parochial schools of the Cream City and later attended the Spencerian College, at which he was graduated with signal honors. While following his studies he was called upon to assist his father in his business of ice dealer, being compelled to do such work at the tender age of eight years, Wisconsin at that time having no child labor laws on its statute books. But the little boy never uttered a word of dissatisfaction, and felt happy in being able to be of some assistance to his parents. This early employment limited to a considerable extent his attendance at school, as he was only able to attend during the spring and autumn months, but he acquired an excellent education through study at home in the few leisure hours at his command late at nights. The philanthrophic quality in Mr. Kopmeiers character made itself manifest on frequent occasions while thus employed in the ice fields with his father, and he established an enviable record in saving lives of others of his father's employes as well as of those who ventured too near thin ice while indulging in the sport of skating. In all he has saved nine men from drowning. When he was twenty-four years of age Mr. Kopmeier acquired an interest in his father's business whose great possibilities he foresaw even thus early, and later he secured entire control of the business by buying out his father's partner. For ten years he then conducted the business alone, and in 1890 he took his brother, J. G. Kopmeier, into partnership with him, the firm being styled Kopmeier Brothers. Later, his keen sagacity brought about a consolidation of several of the largest firms then dealing in ice in the city of Milwaukee, the company becoming known as the Wisconsin Lakes Ice and Cartage Company, but notwithstanding the position of power this consolidation gave him, he has never permitted his company to take advantage of the situation, and he has continually maintained that ice, being a necessity in the modern household, should be sold as cheaply as circumstances would permit, with nothing more than a fair return on the investment to the company. This course is in striking contrast to that pursued by many American corporations, and had the others been equally considerate of the rights of the great mass of consumers the present agitation against "predatory wealth" would never have presented itself. Because of this consolidation the cost of handling ice was considerably reduced, so that without increasing the price to the consumer better returns on the investment could be guaranteed. The company is a Wisconsin concern, has a capital of $560,000, and handles close to 300.000 tons of ice annually. In 1878. when Mr. Kopmeier secured his father's interest, the annual business of the firm had been 4,000 tons. The property to-day repre- sents an actual investment of $1,500,000 and consists of mon than 100 ice houses, distributed among the finesl lakes of Wisconsin, wl an absolutely pure article is always a certaint) ; so that Wisconsin is known as the best ice for domestic or anj other purpose in the country. The ability of Mr. Kopmeier has been called upon in several other business affairs. He is the president of the Lindwurm Company, which years ago purchased a large tract of land for park purposes, holding it until the city was ready to take it over. He is a director in the Wisconsin Compressed Air House Cleaning Company, and is intimately identified with the Twin Buttes Mining & Smelting I Arizona. Air. Kopmeier was married Feb. 26, [878, to Miss I >orothy M. Germershausen and is the father of four children, only two of wl are living. Air. and Mrs. Kopmeier have taken a deep interest in charity, and there is hardly an organization in .Milwaukee thai is not in some measure indebted to their generosity. On account of hi utive ability and his intuitive grasp of business details, he has frequently been called on to take charge of the administrative work of such organizations. He is president of the Milwaukee I Ionic- Finding Association, whose object is principally to rescue children who because of environment or inattention by those who should be best qualified to direct them aright, have gone wrong. He is also one of those who have been most intimately identified with the Milwaukee Tuberculosis Sanitarium Association, which is conducting a sanitarium for the cure and prevention of consumption in Milwaukee county, and he has also contributed liberally to the churches. To his efforts is due the establishment of the Italian mission in the Third ward of Milwaukee, as he was chiefly instrumental in raising the necessary funds to call this institution into life. Conditions were extremely had among the Italians who almost exclusively inhabit that ward. Children were running around on the streets and all indications pointed to this district's becoming a fertile school for crime. The mis-ion has more than met the expectation of its patrons, and its establishment has resulted in bettering conditions in general. Children whose parent- cannot give them needed advantages are taken care of and are being taught useful occupations, and press and public are united in the opinion that it has been the greatest influence for good ever conceived in the Third ward. Air. Kopmeier has been a member of the common council and has served as chairman of its committee on health. I le has taken a lively interest in club and society life and is a member of the Milwaukee Athletic Club, the Merchants" and Manufacturers' V.ssociation, the Calumet Club, the Millioki Club, the Deutscher Club, and is also a prominent member of such organizations as the Travelers Protective Association and the Knights of Columbus. He is the president of the Citizens* Business League of Mil wank.

Louis Kuehn, president and treasurer of the Milwauk. rugating Company, was born in Alsace-Lorraine on Nov. 5, [867. He is a son of Karl and Margaret Magdaline (Deutch) Kuehn. both of whom were bom in Alsace Lorraine, the former in 1847 and the latter in 1851. The lather lived all his life in Germany, raising hops on a small farm in the growing season and weaving cloth in the winter months. He had a family of four children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the third in order of birth. Louis Kuehn took advantage of the educational opportunities afforded by the common schools of his native land, and on graduation secured a position as clerk in the government courthouse. This position he retained until his emigration to the United States in 1888. His first home in this country was in Canton, Ohio, and he earned his livelihood at different times by working in a bakery and later for a pottery company. Then he secured employment with a sheet metal company, and worked through the various stages of the vocation until, in 1896, having gained a sufficient competence, he came to La Crosse, Wis., and opened a sheet-metal business under the name of the La Crosse Steel Roofing and Corrugating Company. This he conducted most successfully for a period of six years. In 1902 he removed to Milwaukee, and in partnership with W. P. Yahn organized and incorporated the Milwaukee Corrugating Company. He became president and treasurer of the company, and Mr. Yahn its secretary. In 1906 Mr. Yahn resigned and August J. Luedke became secretary. The concern is now doing a large business, which increases from year to year. Fraternally Mr. Kuehn is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons and the Milwaukee Athletic Club. His marriage to Miss Viada B. Rose, daughter of George B. Rose, of La Crosse, Wis., occurred in September. 1903. To this union has been born a son, George Louis, and a daughter, Yiarda Marie.

Theodore O. Vilter is one of Milwaukee's best known and popular manufacturers, being the president of the Vilter Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of refrigerating and ice making machinery. He is a native of Northwestern Germany, where he was born on Oct. 25, 1857, and a son of Christian and Eliza (Meiners) Vilter. The father was a farmer by vocation and died when the subject of this sketch was an infant. The mother was married a second time, her second hus*band being Ernst Vilter. In 1871 the family moved to Milwaukee, where Ernst Vilter established himself in a partnership in a machine manufacturing company. His death occured in 1882. By her first husband the mother had four children : three sons - Theodore, Anton, and William - and a daughter, who died in Germany. By her second husband she is the mother of one son, Emil. The mother is still living and during the summer and fall of 1908 took an extended trip through Germany with her son, William. Theodore O. Vilter attended the public schools of Germany, and received his education in English at the German-English Academy in Milwaukee. After he had completed his course at the latter institution he served an apprenticeship in the shops which were the foundation of the present large establishment which he presides over, and which were then owned by Peter Weisel. At the time there were four journeymen employed, with three apprentices to assist them. As an evidence of the growth of the concern may be mentioned the fact that to-day there are 650 men given employment. In 1882 Mr. Vilter purchased his first share of stock in the company, being at the time foreman of the shops. When the disastrous fire of [892 swept the I hird ward the factory was destroyed, but it was at once rebuilt with bel commodations on the Chicago & Northwestern railroad and Clinton street, and several times since floor space has been added. Since the incorporation of the company under the laws of Wisconsin, in 1882, Air. Vilter has been gradually acquiring more stock, until now with his brother lie owns a controlling interest. The officers of the company at the present time are Theodore O. Vilter, president; Edward F. Goes, vice-president; and William O. Vilter, secretary and treasurer: and the officers, with Fred LJlrich and Emil Vilter, compose the board of directors. The company was organized originally for the manufacture of brewers' and bottlers' machinery and later manufactured Corliss engines, hut at the present time it devotes the greater part of its resources to the manufacture of ice-making machinery, for which it is famous all over the country. Mr. Vilter is too absorbed in his business inten to take an active part in politics, and he is not affiliated with any religious organization, believing that to lead a correct life a man need not be bound by creed or sect. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, the Milwaukee Turners' Society and the Deutscher Club, and he is one of the trustees of the German- English Academy who have been active in keeping that institution up to its present high standard. On Feb. 16, 1:884, Mr. Vilter was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Meiners, a native of Milwaukee and a daughter of John Meiners, a distiller. To this union haw been born three daughters : Erna, Alma and Ida.

Edward F. Goes, the capable vice-president of the Vilter Manufacturing Company, was born in Milwaukee on Nov. 10, [858, a son of Frederick and Emma (Terlach) Goes. Both parents were native Germans, the father first having seen the light of day in Bavaria in 1819. The father came to Milwaukee from the Fatherland in 1850 and shortly afterward became part owner of the Goes & Falk Brewing Company. In 1867 ne returned with his family to Germany and spent the remainder of his life there, his death occurring in 1893. He was the father of three sons: George W., deceased, Edward F., and Frederick, Jr., the latter now residing in Germany, Edward F. Goes, the subject of this memoir, removed to Germany with his parents in 1867 and there received his education. He attended first the common schools and then the gymnasium at Frankfort, and completed his scholastic work by taking an engineering course at Munich. In 1883 he returned to Milwaukee and became associated with the Vilter Company as a draughtsman, and he became a member of the firm by the purchase of some of the capital stock. Within a short time he was made head of the draughting department, and in 1898 was elected vice president, the position he has since filled with eminent credit to himself and the firm as well. He is recognized throughout the city as a sane, conservative business man of sterling integrity and exceptional capacity. He is prominently identified with tin Deutscher and the

Milwaukee Athletic clubs. On April 25, 1889, Mr. Goes was united in marriage to Miss Addie Schweitzer, a native of Milwaukee and a daughter of Joseph Schweitzer, one of the prominent liverymen of the city. To this union has been born one son, Frederick T. Something of the marvelous growth of the firm with which Mr. Goes is connected may be learned from the sketch of Theodore O. Vilter, president of the company, elsewhere in this volume.

Edward Clark Davis, one of the substantial citizens of Milwaukee, was born in the Cream City, a son of John and Alary (Clarke) Davis. The father was born at Benton, N. Y., on Sept. 8, 1828, and the mother at Port Huron, Mich. The paternal grandfather, S. Brown Davis, founded the Davis-Baird Transfer Line, owned jointly by Mrs. Kate C. Davis and Joseph C. Baird. Between 1840 and 1846, the grandfather was interested in the old stage line in Michigan known as the Bissell-Humphrey Company, and when it was sold and consolidated with the Frederick Walker Company, of Chicago, Mr. Davis disposed of his interest and removed to Milwaukee. This was in 1848, and the same year he purchased the livery of Davis & Moore, on Mason street. He continued to maintain this business as a livery alone until 1856, and then added to it the bus and transfer branch, which has since that time outgrown the other. After his death his son, John, took over the active management of the company. John Davis was a lieutenant in the old Light Horse Squadron between 1857 and i860. He was the father of two sons, one of whom, Fred, died on Dec. 23, 1902. Edward Clarke Davis, the subject of this review, received his preparatory education in the public schools of Milwaukee and then took a course in the Notre Dame University at South Bend, Ind. Immediately after graduation at the latter institution he came o Milwaukee and relieved S. S. Merrill, who had been administrator of his father's estate for four years, of the duties of that office. He continued in active conduct of the affairs of the estate alone for three and a half years, until in February, 1883, when his wife took charge of the business. In political belief Mr. Davis has been a lifelong Republican, but never held or sought public office. In his religious relations he was associated with St. James Episcopal church. On June 11, 1874, Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Kate C. Cochran, a daughter of Joseph and Emeline (Gambia") Cochran, of Milwaukee. Mr. Cochran was an engineer who came to Milwaukee in the early history of the city. Subsequently he engaged in the brick manufacturing business in the Menomonee valley. and later started the first sprinkler business in the city. His other interests included membership on the board of trade and the ownership of a woodyard on East Water street. Mr. Cochran died <in March 19, 1878, and his widow passed away on March 23, 1898. To Mr. and Mrs. Davis were born two children: John, now an accountant at Glendora, Cal., and Katherine, at home.

George A. James, a substantial farmer of the town of Wauwatosa. is a native of New York city, but of English and Scotch descent. His father. George R. James, was born in Cornwall, Eng- land, about [816. He was a sailor and came to America with his family in 1838, making his home in New York city, Inn still continued his occupation as mate and he was lost al sea in the spring oi 1857. Ilis wife, Mary (Barkley) James, was born in Edinburgh,

Scotland, in [822. She died in New York city in [855. I A. was born in New York city on June 22, [839, and attended school there until the death of his mother, when he was sixteen years of age. In company with his brother he then came making his home with an uncle for nearly thirty year--. \ few years after his marriage, in 1878, he purchased the farm of his uncle in section 13, but has since disposed of that property, and now owns a tract of eighty acres in section [9, which he devotes to general farming and dairying. On Oct. 12. 187X. he was married to Miss Julia Yale, daughter of Augustus and Mary (Edmunds) Yale, of Brookfield, Waukesha count}-, Wis. Mirs. James is one of a family of seven. Helen, the oldest, is the wife of Henry Ecklor, a farmer of the state of Iowa; Alary Jane is the wife of Thomas Atkin, of Waukesha; Mrs. James is the third; Emily died at the age of ten years; John is married and lives in Kansas, and is now retired from active business life; Carrie died at the age of twenty, and William died in infancy. To Air. and Mrs. James two children were born. George A.. Jr., died in 1897, at the age of eighteen, and Mary Barkley is now the wife of Edwin G. Ilalbut. a resident of Milwaukee, and an employe of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company. Mr. James is a Republican, active in local politics, and he has held the office of clerk of the school district and supervisor on the town board. He is a man of strength and independence of character, a conscientious member of the Methodist church, and one who has the respect and esteem of the neighborhood where he has spent the greater portion of his life. His brother, William B. James, for many years a sailor on the great lakes, is now retired and is a resident of W'auwatosa.

Benjamin Siegert, one of the respected and highly prosperous farmers of the town of Wauwatosa, Wis., was born in < lorlitz, Saxony, on Jan. 15, 1843, the son of Wilhelm and Elizabeth (Ginsel) Siegert. His parents were also natives of Gorlitz, where his father was horn in die year I7w7- The elder Mr. Siegert first came to the United States in 1846, though he only remained here for about two years on thi sion, and again returned to the old country. A year or two later he once more came to America, proceeding direct to Milwaukee, Wis. Immediately after his arrival he bought a quarter section of land, which he worked for a time and then disposal of it at a profit. He n bought a twelve and one-half acre piece, situated at what is now ("enter street, Milwaukee. Here he followed the vocation of a gardener for many years, and finally sold his land some fort) y< He then retired from active business pursuits and made his home with his Benjamin, the subject of this sketch, until the time of his death, in 1880. at the advanced age <^\ eighty-three years. < )ur subject's mother died many years earlier, in Germany. They reared a family of children to maturity, three of whom are still living: Benjamin, our sub- ject ; Henry, who now makes his home in Oregon ; Mary, the wife of Henry Lucemore, of St. Catherines, Canada (now deceased) ; and Anna, who resides at St. Louis, Mo. Our subject is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war, as was his brother, Henry. He enlisted as a private in Company H, of the Forty-fifth Wisconsin infantry, Col. Henry F. Belitz commanding, in the summer of 1864, and was stationed at Nashville during' most of his term of service. He participated in the battle at that place, also in a number of minor engagements, and was honorably discharged from the service in August, 1865. His brother Henry served during the entire war, having re-enlisted on three separate occasions. Benjamin received a good elementary education in the common schools of Germany, and came to America when still a young boy, accompanying his father on the latter's second trip. He first came to Wauwatosa in 1852, and assisted his father in his gardening work for a number of years, until he was able to buy his own place. He bought his present fine farm of about sixty acres in 1867, and has since made all the extensive improvements on the same, including the beautiful home in which he still lives. Here he has grown prosperous, gardening and farming, and is known as one of the most successful agriculturists in this section of the state. Thrift, industry, sterling honesty, and common sense, qualities inherited from his sturdy German ancestors, have materially contributed to his success in life. He is still hale and hearty, and is now in a position to enjoy the fruits of a long life spent in honest industry and devotion to duty. In politics he is a member of the Republican party, and he has held the office of trustee of the city of Wauwatosa. In the matter of religion he is affiliated with the German church of Wauwatsoa, to which he is a most liberal contributor. Mr. Siegert was married on Feb. 9, 1869, to Frederica, daughter of Charles and Mary (Mindeman) Rambatt, of Mecklenburg, Germany, and three children were the fruit of this union : Emma, wife of George Bandurant, who resides in Chicago, 111. ; Herman, married to Annie Landgrebe ; and William, who died in early manhood at the age of eighteen years and two months.