History of Colorado; Volume II, Part 37

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 944

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In matters of citizenship Mr. Lewis indicates the ancestry from which he sprung. He is the direct descendant of Edward Doty, who came to the New World on the May- flower in 1620 and whose name is inscribed on the Plymouth monument. In the paternal line the ancestry is traced back to Samuel Lewis, who came from Wales in 1732 and settled in New Jersey, and on the ancestral record appear the names of those who served in the American Revolution. Mr. Lewis stands for all that is progressive and valuable in citizenship, and is particularly active in the support of his country in this hour of national crisis. He is a member of the Denver Club, the Denver Athletic Club, the Denver Country Club, the Denver Civic and Commercial Association and the Retail Merchants Association. His religious faith is that of the Congregational church. He was active in the organization and served as the first president of the Denver Tourist Bureau, which organization has been most successful in bringing thousands of people to Colorado.

R. LEE CRAFT.

R. Lee Craft, special agent at Pueblo for the United States Bureau of Investigation, was born in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of September, 1888, a son of Kline W. and Estelle (Warren) Craft. The family came to Colorado in 1887, and the father engaged in the real estate business for many years, continuing active in that line until his death in 1901.

Brought to Colorado during his early infancy, R. Lee Craft pursued a public school education in Pueblo, passing through consecutive grades to the high school, and when his textbooks were put aside he made his initial step in the business world. He was employed in various positions in Pueblo and afterward took up the study of law under the direction of W. S. Palmer and Lyman Henry, with whom he studied for several years, but he never took the bar examination. In 1914 he became identified with his present branch of government service as a local officer and has been twice promoted, being now special agent for the southern and western part of Colorado for the Bureau of Investigation, with headquarters in Pueblo. He has done important work in this con- nection, and his devotion to his duties is questioned by none.

Mr. Craft was marrried in 1907 to Miss Edith M. Plumlee, of Kansas, and to them have been born three children, Mildred Lucile, Orville D. and Roger Lee. The religious faith of the family is that of the Methodist church. Mr. Craft has practically spent his entire life in Pueblo and has therefore witnessed much of its growth and development. He has ever been actuated by marked devotion to high American principles and standards of citizenship, and as an officer he has made an excellent record, doing especially valuable work at the present time.

FRANK E. HICKEY.

Frank E. Hickey, a member of the Denver bar, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 23, 1892. His great-grandfather, who was of Scotch birth, came to America while this country was still numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Britain, and after the Revolutionary war he removed to Canada. His son, Sephreness Hickey, how- ever, again crossed the border and took up his abode in Wisconsin, where he cast in his lot among the pioneer settlers. He was a well known lumberman of that early period. His son, Frank L. Hickey, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the same place where the birth of Frank E. Hickey of this review occurred. The father followed accounting and merchandising in Milwaukee for many years but ultimately became a resident of Denver in 1904 and is still engaged in business here as an accountant. He married Eva Wickens, a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and of English descent. Her father was born on the Isle of Wight and became a resident of Canada about 1858, spending his remaining days there. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Hickey was cele- brated in Montreal, Canada, and they became the parents of two children, the younger being James C. Hickey, who is cashier of the United Fruit Dispatch Company of Denver.

Frank E. Hickey, the elder, attended the public schools of Milwaukee and afterward continued his education in the schools of Denver. Subsequently he entered the Uni- versity of Denver for the study of law and was graduated with the LL. B. degree in

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June, 1914, while in September of the same year he was admitted to the bar. During his college days he was employed in the law office of Everett Owens and afterward in the office of Charles Sackmann and through his earnings was enabled to pay his way in the university. His plans to procure his education indicated the elemental strength of his character and the same persistency of purpose has characterized him since starting out upon the active work of the profession. Immediately after his admission to the bar he took up general practice, becoming a member of the firm of Irwin, Irwin & Hickey. This firm is accorded a liberal clientage that has connected its members with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of the district. Mr. Hickey is resourceful in presenting his cause, is strong in argument, clear in his deductions and sound in his reasoning.

On the 26th of May, 1917, in Denver, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Hickey and Miss Edna Hawkins, a native of Indiana and a daughter of Joseph Hawkins, now deceased. In politics Mr. Hickey has always been a stalwart republican since attaining the right of franchise. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of For- esters and the Court of Honor and his religious faith is evidenced in his membership in St. Paul's Episcopal church. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance in Denver, where he has resided since his boyhood days, esteem him highly as a man of sterling worth and one whose advancement along professional lines is assured because he possesses the requisite qualities of the able lawyer-comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and ability to accurately apply these principles.

WILLIAM H. GILL.

Mercantile interests ever reflect the progressive spirit of a community, in fact, they largely make up this progressive spirit, for the growth and advancement of a city is due to a large extent to the modern ideas employed in its commercial establishments. Among the modern day merchants of Greeley, Colorado, is William H. Gill, secretary and manager of the Park Merchandise Company, a reliable, conservative and thoroughly up-to-date institution, enjoying an extensive trade, covering a large part of Weld county. To the success of the enterprise Mr. Gill has largely contributed and its continued growth and expansion must be ascribed to his indefatigable spirit, his new ideas, his executive ability and that foremost principle of every successful merchant to always please his patrons.

Mr. Gill was born in Jefferson county, New York, May 18, 1860, a son of William H. and Almira H. (Otis) Gill, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York. The Gill family is an old and prominent one in the east, tracing their ancestry in America back to the year 1636. When yet a hoy the father accompanied his parents from Vermont to New York and there he subsequently became a successful farmer and stockman, following that occupation in that state throughout his life. He and his brothers were noted throughout New York state as importers and raisers of thoroughbred Durham cattle, enjoying a very large business in this particular line. The father died in 1869, when comparatively young, and was survived by his widow for thirty-eight years, her death occurring in 1906.

William H. Gill was reared in New York, completing his education in that state. Taking fate in his own hands, he then set out to make a living, making his way west- ward to Illinois, where he learned the butter and cheese business. The lure of the great west, however, was upon him and in 1879 he came to Colorado, locating in Greeley, Weld county, being employed by his brother-in-law, Bruce Johnson, who was engaged in the milling business. Mr. Gill continued as secretary and office man for Mr. Johnson for eight years and at the end of that time, in 1887, engaged in the mercantile business, becoming thoroughly familiar with this line. In 1892, in partnership with Bruce John- son, he established the Park Merchandise Company, which he has directed ever since. Thorough experience, noted executive ability, pleasant and affable ways and a thorough understanding of merchandise have been the salient factors in his success. The business policy which he has instituted is well tried and has made his firm one of the most reliable in his part of the state. Full value for money received and obliging treatment of cus- tomers are the watchwords of the house. Moreover, Mr. Gill has other interests, being senior member of the firm of Gill & Decker, which is engaged largely in ranching and stock feeding. He is also president of the Gill & Decker Improvement Company, which was formed to lay out a new townsite at Gill, Colorado, the name being given to the place in honor of our subject. Through this proposition Mr. Gill is not only furthering his own interests but is contributing toward the development of his community, creating

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a new residential section which will prove of lasting value to his city. In their stock farm Gill & Decker operate eleven hundred acres and in that connection they have at- tained a position among the leading stockmen of the state. The Park Merchandise Com- pany may be said to be not only "a" store of Greeley but "the" store, for it is the largest mercantile establishment north of Denver, and their patronage is not only drawn from the city but from a wide territory, extending far over Weld county. They carry well selected lines of goods, renowned for quality and reliability, and the firm name stands practically as a guarantee for the merchandise which they handle.

In October, 1885, Mr. Gill was united in marriage to Miss Clara B. McQuiston, a daughter of John and Mary (White) McQuiston, the former born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Illinois. The father came to Colorado in 1867, becoming one of the pioneer farmers of his section, where he passed most of his life, his labors being ended in death in 1903. Mrs. McQuiston is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Gill were horn three children, Gladys, Bruce and Alice, all of whom passed away when quite young.

The interests mentioned, however, do not exhaust the activities of Mr. Gill, for he is also prominently connected with ditch and irrigation projects and in that way has greatly contributed to the agricultural upbuilding of his section. To get a conception of the importance of his activities along this line it may be mentioned that he and Mr. Decker are the largest water right owners in Colorado. Mr. Gill is president of the Cache La Poudre Reservoir Company and holds the office of vice president in relation to the New Cache La Poudre Company. His political belief is that of the republican party, but while he is much interested in all matters which affect the nation, state and his community, he is not an active politician, his many interests forbidding political activity. However, he is ever ready to lend a helping hand in promoting projects of a public nature and in connection with water right companies has done much toward promoting general prosperity. His religious faith is that of the Congregational church and both he and his wife take a helpful part in the work of the church. They reside at No. 1029 Eighth avenue, Greeley, and the hospitality of their home is renowned among their many friends. Fraternally Mr. Gill is a very prominent Mason, having attained the thirty second degree in this organization, and for thirty-three years he has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the honorable and helpful principles underlying these organizations guiding him in his conduct toward his fellowmen.

MILTON SMITH.

Milton Smith, a very successful and prominent attorney and business man of Denver, his practice at the bar placing him in the foremost ranks of the legal profession, while his business insight and sagacity have been manifest in his judicious investments in some of the most important corporate interests of the state, was born in Flatbrookville, Sussex county, New Jersey, on the 31st of January, 1866, a son of Samuel D. and Hannah A. (Bevens) Smith. The father was a native of Sussex county, New Jersey, and devoted his life to merchandising but has now passed away. The mother, also a native of that county, is now living with her daughter, Anna, who is the wife of William T. Pierson, of Newark, Wayne county, New York.

There were but two children in the family, the son being Milton Smith, whose name introduces this review. He was educated in the district schools of Sussex county and in an academy of Ulster county, New York, after which he won a competitive scholarship for Cornell University, from which he was graduated with the class of June, 1887, win- ning the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. While at Cornell he became a member of the Chi Psi fraternity and he is also an honorary member of Phi Delta Phi, a law fra- ternity. Mr. Smith studied law in Ithaca, New York, and was admitted to the state bar in Binghamton in November, 1889. He went to Texas but was not pleased with that state and shortly afterward removed to Denver, where he arrived in 1889. For a time he was in law offices of others and in January, 1892, he entered into partnership with James H. Brown, a connection that was maintained for two years. On the expiration of that period he formed a law partnership under the firm style of O'Donnell, Decker & Smith, which was maintained from 1894 until 1897, when Mr. Decker withdrew and the firm style of O'Donnell & Smith was adopted. From January, 1902, until January 1, 1907, Mr. Smith practiced alone and then admitted Charles R. Brock to a partnership under the firm style of Smith & Brock. In 1913 they were joined by a third partner under the firm name of Smith, Brock & Ferguson, and this connection has since been maintained. They occupy a large suite of rooms in the Wight building at No. 1433 Champa street. This firm is one of the most prominent in Colorado, representing many large corpora-

MILTON SMITH

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tions and companies, such as the Aetna Life Insurance Company, the Maryland Casualty Company and many others. Mr. Smith is likewise general counsel for the Rocky Moun- tain States Telephone & Telegraph Company of Colorado, also the Continental Oil Com- pany and is general solicitor for the receivers of the Salt Lake Railroad Company. He was the organizer of the Farmers' Reservoir & Irrigation Company, which owns much land, embracing miles of irrigation ditches and several lakes, including Stanley Lake and Milton Lake, the latter named in his honor.

In 1893 Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Susan Jones and to them were born two children: Isabelle, twenty-one years of age, now a college student; and Milton, nineteen years of age, a student at Cornell. For his second wife Mr. Smith chose Miss Aimee Neresheimer.

The only office that Mr. Smith has held is that of county attorney for two years and yet there is no man who has exercised a more potent influence over the politics of the state than he. From early manhood he has been active in democratic circles and he has done much to shape the policy of the democratic party in Colorado, serving for many years as chairman of the state central committee. In this connection a contemporary biographer has written: "With him, politics was a diversion-a game to be played hard for the several months each two years when he undertook control of his party's interests, but it could never. be said of him that his devotion to politics interfered with progress in his profession. The law was always Mr. Smith's first concern and even in the hottest part of a political campaign he was ever the hard student, jealously guarding the interests of his clients as well as the political fortunes of his party's candidates. During a political campaign, Mr. Smith averaged eighteen hours' work a day. In those months he would keep a force of half a dozen stenographers from early morning till midnight. Rising before six o'clock, he would be at his office before break of dawn and have much of his private business cleared away before he appeared among the first at democratic state headquarters." At the end of twelve years as chairman of the state central committee Mr. Smith retired from his position as chairman but his advice and counsel have been continuously sought by his successors. He is a prominent figure in club and fraternal circles, holding membership in the University, Denver Country, Lakewood Country, Den- ver Athletic, Democratic and Denver Motor Clubs, all of Denver, and the Rocky Mountain Club of New York city. He is also a prominent Mason, having membership in the lodge, chapter and commandery at Palmyra, New York, and in El Jebel Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Denver. He is also connected with the Knights of Pythias and for recreation he turns to golf. He is a man of commanding appearance but of most gracious and affable manner, his personal popularity constituting an even balance to his professional and business prominence.

ALBERT R. WEINHOLD.

Energetic and possessed of the perseverance, determination and sagacity which are indispensable elements in the attainment of success along commercial lines, Albert R. Weinhold of Evans is conducting a good business as a dealer in flour, feed and coal. He was born in Wilson, Kansas, June 7, 1882, and is a son of Samuel and Catherine (Grill) Weinhold, the former a native of Pennsylvania, while the latter was born in Ohio. The father is a farmer by occupation and when a boy removed to Illinois, after which he took up agricultural pursuits and at a later period he became a resident of Wilson, Kan- sas. He purchased land there about 1871 and bent his energies to the cultivation and improvement of his farm, which he has since operated. He has developed the place along progressive lines and now has an excellent property. His wife died in October, 1916.

Albert R. Weinhold spent his youthful days in the usual manner of the farmbred boy who divides his time between the work of the fields, the pleasures of the play- ground and the duties of the schoolroom. He pursued his education in the district schools of Wilson, Kansas, until he had mastered the elementary branches of learning and later he became a student in the Midland College at Atchison, Kansas. When his student days were over he returned to the home farm. upon which he lived for two years, and in 1904 he removed westward to La Salle, Weld county, Colorado, and later became a resident of Greeley. In 1906 he took up his abode in Evans, Weld county, and purchased thirty acres of land within the corporation limits of the town. He at once improved this property and has since continued its cultivation with the exception of the last five years, during which period he has rented the land to others. In 1912 he established a flour, feed and coal business at Evans and has since conducted the busi-

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ness, which has steadily grown in volume and importance, so that he is now enjoying a gratifying patronage.

In May, 1906, Mr. Weinhold was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Zimmer and they became parents of four children: Albert Z., who was born in May, 1907; Catherine, in June, 1911; and Earl and Merl, twins, born in December, 1913.

The religious faith of Mr. and Mrs. Weinhold is that of the Presbyterian church and their lives are guided by its teachings. Fraternally he is connected with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically he is a democrat and has filled a number of local positions. He has been secretary of the school district, has served for two terms as a member of the town council and is the present mayor of the city, giving to Evans a businesslike and progressive administration that is recognizing its needs and its possibilities for development along civic lines.

JOHN J. MORRISSEY.

John J. Morrissey has for eleven years engaged in the practice of law in Denver. He was born in Berea, Ohio, on the 19th of January, 1883, and is a son of Thomas J. Morrissey, who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and on emigrating to the new world made his way to Boston. He afterward removed westward to Ohio and for many years was engaged in mill work but is now living retired in Berea at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife, who hore the maiden name of Katherine Ryan, was born in Canada and also survives. They had a family of five children who are yet living.

John J. Morrissey acquired a public school education in Ohio and afterward attended the Baldwin University of Berea and was a student in the Baldwin-Wallace College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1901. He spent three years in Baldwin Uni- versity and in 1904 he came to Colorado, with Denver as his destination. Here he entered the University of Colorado and was graduated on the completion of a law course as a member of the class of 1907. The same year he was admitted to the bar and entered upon active practice in connection with Judge McCall under the firm style of McCall & Morrissey. A later change in the partnership led to the organization of the present firm of Morrissey, Mahoney & Scofield. He enjoys a large practice and is able in argu- ment, clear in his reasoning, logical in his deductions and at all times forceful in the presentation of his cause, which never fails to elicit the interest and attention of court and jury and seldom fails to win the verdict desired.

In 1911 Mr. Morrissey was united in marriage to Miss Pauline Smith, a native of Colorado, and to them have been born two children: John J., four years of age; and Thomas George, three years of age. Mr. Morrissey has membership with the Knights of Columbus and with the Cathedral Catholic church. In politics he was quite active in early years but now maintains an independent course. He belongs to the Denver Bar Association and is well known in the ranks of the profession, where he has already made a most creditable position for one of his years, and judged in the light of past events, his subsequent career will be well worth the watching.

HARRY B. TEDROW.

Harry B. Tedrow, United States district attorney for the district of Colorado, was born at Woodburn, Clarke county, Iowa, May 6, 1875. His father, Joseph Leech Tedrow (1835-1912), a merchant, was born in Pennsylvania, lived until young manhood in Athens county, Ohio; in 1855 took up his residence in Iowa, and in 1887 removed to Hastings. Nebraska, where his last years were spent. He married Hester Ann Proudfoot, a native of Barbour county, West Virginia, whose people were pioneers of Clarke and Warren counties, Iowa. She still survives.

Harry B. Tedrow is one of a family of eight children, five of whom are living. His early schooling was received in the public schools of Woodburn, Iowa, and Hastings, Nebraska. He was graduated from the Hastings high school as a member of the class of 1892. He has been a resident of Colorado since 1896. For two years after coming to Colorado he was connected with the Rocky Mountain News, both in the business office and reportorial work. Later he entered the law school of the Denver University. Upon the declaration of the Spanish-American war in April, 1898, he responded to the call for troops, enlisting at Denver in the organization that became Troop B of the Second United States Volunteer Cavalry, popularly known as Torrey's Rough Riders. His regiment

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was assigned to the Seventh Army Corps under Major General Fitzhugh Lee. When the war was over he returned to Denver and on October 12, 1899, was admitted to the bar. In 1901 he practiced at Cripple Creek. From 1903 to 1906 he was associated with Richard H. Whiteley at Boulder. In the latter year he formed a business relation with Charles W. Franklin, a well known Denver attorney, under the firm name of Franklin & Tedrow, remaining in that connection in active practice in Denver until 1912. During a part of this time he was secretary of the Denver Bar Association. In 1912 he went to Boulder, where he has been associated with Arthur W. Fitzgerald, as Tedrow & Fitz- gerald, taking over the Whiteley practice in that city. He was county attorney of Boulder county in 1913-1914 and for nearly six years (1909-1915) a member of the board of pardons of Colorado. In 1914 President Wilson commissioned him United States attor- ney for the district of Colorado and renewed the commission in 1918. Mr. Tedrow be- came United States district attorney August 1, 1914, the day the great European war began, and his duties in the important office have taken an unusual course. Especially since April 6, 1917, when the United States entered the conflict, he has had the responsi- bility of a tremendous volume of perplexing government business of an administrative as well as legal nature for which no precedents existed.

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History of Colorado; Volume II, Part 37

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Number of Pages: 944

Author: Stone, Wilbur Fiske, 1833-1920, ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 944