Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 22

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530

USA > Colorado > Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 22

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A native of Vermont, born in 1823, Thomas D. Hadley grew to manhood in the Green Moun- tain state, and acquired his education in Cam- bridge, Mass. After his marriage he settled upon a farm, and in connection with the cultivation of land, engaged in various business enterprises. In 1870 he removed to Lowell, Mass., where he en- gaged in the paper and paper-hanging business, and continued in that enterprise until 1896, when he disposed of the business and came to Colorado. He now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Maxcy, in Fairplay. His mother was a Miss Cushman, a direct descendant of Robert Cush- man, who came to this country in the "Enter- prise," the ship that followed the "Mayflower."

The subject of this sketch, who was next to the youngest of her father's family, acquired her education in St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, and also attended the high school at Lowell, Mass., and the Vermont State University at Mid- dlebury. Upon the completion of her education, she became the wife of Ira F. Edmunds, manager of a well-known business house in Lowell, Mass. One year after their marriage, his health failed to such an extent that fatal tendencies became noticeable. Hoping that a change of climate might prove beneficial, his wife brought him to Colorado, but it was too late; his death occurred shortly afterward. Mrs. Edmunds then came to Fairplay and for two years was employed as deputy in the recorder's office and as teacher in the public school. She was united in marriage with Ward Maxcy, a pioneer of Colorado, who crossed the plains in 1860 with an ox-team, in a company of which the late H. A. W. Tabor was a member. He mined for some years and then settled upon a ranch in Park County, where he has since resided. The only child born of this marriage was Vivian, who died in 1893.

The ranch being very lonely after the death of her daughter, Mrs. Maxcy turned her attention to teaching. In 1895 she was nominated by the Republicans for county superintendent of public instruction and was the only candidate on that ticket who was elected. At the expiration of the first term she was returned to the office, and is now serving her second term. It is worthy of note that she was the first woman ever placed in nomination for any office in Park County, and it

J. J. Lambertk

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

may safely be predicted that she will not be the last, for her efficient service proves that it is pos- sible for women to fill public offices with intel- ligence, ability and success. Under her super- vision the schools of the county have been ad- vanced, the grade of scholarship has been pro- moted, the standard of instruction elevated, and in every way educational interests have been fostered. Her record as an officer has won for her many friends and given voters confidence in her administration of educational affairs.

APT. JOHN J. LAMBERT. A quarter century of life at the head of a western news- paper has been the experience of Captain Lambert, editor and publisher of the Pueblo Chieftain. Although his early years were spent in a manner that would seem to give little oppor- tunity for the development of journalistic talent, when he entered the field of literature he proved to be admirably qualified for it in every respect. To him journalism has been the highest field of human effort. He has realized the opportunities it offers for the moulding of public thought and has always stood firm and steadfast by those cou- victions, which he believes to be for the best good of the people and the country. He has been intensely devoted to his work. Nothing that detracted from it did he allow to come be- tween him and his chosen field of labor. Though often offered positions of public trust and honor, he nevertheless, with a rare singleness of pur- pose, refused all such offers, his only public posi- tion being that of receiver of the United States land office at Pueblo. His life is busily passed in his chosen work, and the results of his close application are apparent in the well-edited col- umns of his paper and the high place it holds in the estimation of the people of southern Colorado.

The Daily Chieftain has the largest 'subscrip- tion list and circulation of any paper outside of Denver, and with the exception of those, is the only paper that is a full member and stockholder in. the Associated Press. The plant and office are in a large brick building, centrally located, and erected by the owner of the paper in 1879. It was in the spring of 1870 that Captain Lam- bert purchased the paper. For two years his brother was manager, but in 1872 he took control of the publication and has since been in active charge. It was not long before the influence of his strong mind was apparent in the paper. Be- ing carefully edited it attracted a wide patronage,

aud its increase of circulation made it an excellent advertising medium. In all matters affecting the welfare of the people the editor has taken a pronounced stand. Political animosities were laid aside when he began to treat local subjects, his aim always being to secure the advancement of the city and the prosperity of the citizens. In its advocacy of Republican principles the paper has gained prominence among the organs of the party, in behalf of which it wields a wide influ- ence.

Born in Ireland January 19, 1837, Captain Lam- bert was fourteen years of age when he accom- panied his parents to the United States and set- tled in Dubuque, Iowa, where he attended school. In youth he was apprenticed to the printer's trade, and followed that occupation until the opening of the Civil war. Enlisting in the Union army he served as lieutenant, and later as captain of Company I, Ninth Iowa Cavalry, which was mustered out in the spring of 1866. Afterward he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Fifth United States Regular Infantry, assigned to duty on the frontier. For five years he was post adjutant, quartermaster and commissary at Fort Reynolds, twenty miles east of Pueblo. While there, in 1870, he bought the Pueblo Chief- tain, which at that time was a weekly paper, having been started June 1, 1868, and in 1872 he resigned his commission in the army in order to turn his attention to journalism. April 28, 1873, he established the daily edition of the paper. May 14, 1890, he was appointed receiver of the United -States land office at Pueblo by President Harrison, which office he held for four years. He entered upon his second term as receiver of the land office February 9, 1899, having been appointed by President Mckinley. He was one of the charter members and early commanders of Upton Post, G. A. R., with which he is still con- nected, and he is also a member of the Colorado Commandery of the military order of the Loyal Legion.

On the formation of the Pueblo Club, in 1885, he was elected its first secretary, which posi- tion he still holds. He has been identified with the Board of Trade, Commercial Club and Business Men's Association in succession. Other local enterprises have received his support and encouragement, both as a private citizen and through the medium of his paper. Politically he has always been a stauch Republican, and for years has exercised a strong influence in the

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ranks of the party in this state. His marriage was solemnized in Dubuque, Iowa, December 17, 1872, and united him with Miss Sue E. Lorimier, who was born in that city and was a graduate of the high school there. A lady of kind heart she was actively interested in charitable and philan- thropic societies in Pueblo and delighted in re- lieving the necessities of the poor and distressed. Her death occurred in Pueblo April 10, 1891.

L. WOOTTON, who carries on a real- estate and loan business in Trinidad and is president of the Las Animas County Abstract Company, is also deputy assessor of Las Animas County. He was born in Taos, N. M., March 21, 1851, a son of Richens and Dolores (La Favre) Wootton. In 1858 his father came overland from Taos to Denver, with five wagon loads of provisions and goods which he intended to take to Canada and trade with the Indians for furs; but on reaching Cherry Creek (now Denver) he was induced by about one hundred miners to locate there, and they bought his goods at high prices. Remaining in Denver until 1860, he then went down to the Fountain, and in 1863 commenced to open a toll road from Trinidad through the Raton Mountains to the Red River. This he completed and then operated until the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad was built through in 1877. Afterward he lived in retirement in Trinidad, and there he died in 1894, aged seventy-eight years. He had lived on the frontier from 1835, having come west from Meck- lenburg County, Va. His father, David, a na- tive of Virginia, was a son of David Wootton, who came to this country from Glasgow, Scot- land.

The subject of this sketch was one of four chil- dren. His early years were spent principally with his grandparents in Kentucky, and his education was obtained in public schools. In 1866 he joined his parents in Trinidad, Colo. For two years he was wagon boss for an ox-train owned by Beard & Walker, who were freighting across the plains, bringing goods to Colorado and New Mexico. In 1869 he accepted a clerk- ship with Thatcher Brothers & Co., in Trinidad, but during the same year he opened a general store in Trinidad. In 1870 he moved his goods across the line into New Mexico, where he fol- lowed the mercantile and stock business for two years. On selling out in 1872 he returned to Trinidad with two hundred head of cattle, and

soon he became one of the leading stockmen of this section, continuing in the business until 1885. Meantime, in 1884, he had become interested in the real-estate and insurance business, as a member of the firm of Wootton & Brigham, which partnership continued until 1887. Since that time he has been in business alone.

In 1886 Mr. Wootton bought a tract of land and built a fine lake, 1500 x 400 feet, which, supplied with boats, is now a delightful resort, while the surrounding park contains five species of deer (caught in this vicinity) and other attrac- tions for pleasure-seekers. At once after buying the property he began to set out fruit trees, making a specialty of apples, pears and cherries, and he now raises more fruit than any grower south of Pueblo, producing each year about $2,500 worth of fruit, which he sells at wholesale and retail. From his lake he secures a fine quality of ice, which he sells to the city.

Politically Mr. Wootton is a Democrat. In 1876 he was appointed under-sheriff of Las Animas County. The following year he was elected sheriff, which position he filled for two years. On the Democratic ticket he was elected to the state legislature in 1889 and was re-elected in 1891 and 1893, serving for three successive terms. Frequently he has been a delegate to county and state conventions, and for years he has been a party leader in his section of the state. During his experience as sheriff he had many exciting experiences, for those were the rough days of western life. He arrested more than one desperado, and on one occasion was obliged to take a prisoner over the mountains to New Mexico, to prevent him from being mobbed. He can relate many interesting incidents of those times.

In 1872 Mr. Wootton married Florence Walker, of Trinidad. She died in 1877, and her children, Jerome D., Edward and Fannie, are also deceased. In 1879 Mr. Wootton married Miss Lucy M. Huntley, daughter of Dr. E. D. Huntley, of Trinidad. Fraternally our subject is connected with Trinidad Lodge No. 28, A. F. & A. M .; and Trinidad Lodge No. 17, I. O. O. F., with which he has been identified since 1874 and in which he is past grand; at one time he was district deputy of the grand lodge. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and for several years served as a steward. In 1877 he assisted in laying out the Wootton & Schneider addition to Trinidad. He has built several houses here

J. H. Derne

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which he rents, and, besides his property in this place, owns mining interests in Lake City and Cripple Creek, Colo.

HOMAS H. DEVINE. Among the law firms of Colorado few have gained a promi- nence greater than that of Waldron & De- vine, who have offices in the Ernest and Cranmer building in Denver, and the Opera House block in Pueblo. Since the establishment of the firm, its members, each of whom had previously gained an enviable reputation in the profession, have had charge of many important cases and have represented the interests of a large and val- uable clientele. With the prestige which success always gives, they have been able to win their way to a foremost rank among the professional men of the state.

The junior member of the firm and its represen- tative in Pueblo, was born in St. Louis, Mo., Sep- tember 27, 1860, a son of Michael and Agnes (Hume) Devine, natives respectively of Ireland and Glasgow, Scotland. His father, who emi- grated to the United States in youth, spent some time in New York, and from there went to St. Louis, opening a boot and shoe store in that city. His wife was a member of an honorable old Scotch family, whose representatives have been known for integrity and intelligence. Of her children, one daughter and two sons are deceased, while the survivors are: Thomas H .; Mary, wife of Will- iam Mann, of Illinois; and Sarah, wife of Will- iam Lambarth, of St. Louis.

January, 1899, the firm became Waldron & De- vine. The general business of the two partners is corporation practice, in which they have met with striking success.

It has ever been Mr. Devine's greatest ambition to be a successful lawyer. He has given his en- tire time to his profession, and has had little in- clination or leisure for politics, although he keeps well posted concerning national questions and is a Democrat in his views. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Knights of Pythias, and in 1892 was grand chancellor of the state. In May, 1884, he married Miss Kate Gibbs, of Winches- ter, Ill., daughter of W. C. Gibbs, of that city. They have two sons, David Gibbs and Charles Watson.

LPHEUS A. CORBIN, M. D., who has en- gaged in continuous practice in Pueblo since 1879, was born in Milwaukee, Wis., Novem- ber 17, 1839, being a son of John and Eliza (Dun- bar) Corbin. His father, who was born and reared near Rochester, N. Y., went to Wisconsin in an early day and was there employed hy the government for some years. From that state he removed to the vicinity of Maquoketa, Iowa, where he purchased a large tract of raw prairie land and embarked in farming and stock-raising. At his death, which occurred at thirty-six years of age, he left considerable property in farm land. His wife, who was born in Kentucky, died at the age of forty-eight years. She was a woman of gentle, attractive character, and was a consistent member of the Congregational Church.

The boyhood years of our subject were spent in St. Louis and Illinois. He was nineteen when, When a hoy of five years the subject of this sketch was taken to Iowa by his parents. He was educated in public schools and the Maquo- keta Academy. Shortly after the opening of the Civil war, in June, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company I, Fifth Iowa Infantry, in which he served for three years, being in the hospital de- partment during much of the time. Among the engagements in which he took part were those at New Madrid, Island No. 10 and Chattanooga. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Mission Ridge and was removed to Richmond, where he was confined for five months. On being ex- changed he returned to his company, and after- ward engaged in guard duty until the expiration of his term of service. in 1879, he entered the law office of Knapp & Riggs, at Winchester, Ill. In 1882 he was ad- mitted to practice at the bar of Illinois. In No- vember of 1882 he was elected prosecuting at- torney of Scott County, Ill., and at the expiration of his term was re-elected, serving for six years. Soon after he was admitted to the bar he formed a partnership with Hon. J. M. Riggs, M. C., and this partnership continued until 1888, when Mr. Devine came west and opened an office in Pueblo. In 1889 he formed a law partnership with Judge M. B. Gerry, but this connection was dissolved the following year, and Mr. Devine en- tered into partnership with J. M. Waldron, which continued until 1897. On the ist of January of that year, Judge A. E. Pattison, of Denver, On his return from the army our subject began to read medicine. After a time he entered the was admitted to the firm, and the title was changed to Pattison, Waldron & Devine. In Bennett Medical College of Chicago, from which

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he graduated in 1872. He was in that city dur- ing the great fire of 1871, in which he lost his trunk and possessions. On leaving college he went to Montgomery County, Kan., and there engaged in practice until 1879, when he came to Pueblo. In addition to his private practice he has for eight years served as pension examiner. In politics he is a Democrat, believing the prin- ciples of his party best adapted to our country's good. Fraternally he is connected with Pueblo Lodge No. 8, I. O. O. F., and Upton Post No. 8, G. A. R. In religion he is a member of the Episcopal Church. He has been married twice, his first wife being Emma Smith, of Providence, R. I., who died October 2, 1888, leaving three children, Leroy, Elfie and Melvin. His present wife bore the maiden name of Mary Jennings and was born in Pennsylvania.

ON. THOMAS M. PATTERSON was born in Ireland November 4, 1840. When the family came to America, in 1853, he was a boy of thirteen. After a few years in the city of New York he moved west with the family to Crawfordsville, Ind. At the age of fourteen he began to work in a printing office and after- ward he assisted his father in the jewelry busi- ness. He spent one and one-half years in Asbury (10w DePauw) University and two years in Wabash College, where he took the regular course of study. The degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Asbury University.

On completing his literary studies, Mr. Patter -. son read law, and upon his admission to the bar he formed a partnership with Judge J. R. Cowan, with whom he continued as long as he remained in Indiana. In December, 1872, he came to Den- ver, where he became connected with C. S. Thomas. In April, 1873, he was elected city at- torney and the next year was re-elected. He soon became a leader of the Democratic party here, and his talents led to his selection, by the party, as candidate for important offices. In the summer of 1874 he was chosen territorial dele- gate to Congress, being the first Democrat ever elected to that position in the then territory. This election made him a delegate to congress at a most important time, for Colorado was apply- ing for admission to the Union as a state. Grant was then president. The senate was Republican, the house Democratic. Hence, there was a di- vision as to the advisability of admitting Colo- rado, Mr. Patterson had been successfully

elected on the Democratic ticket, and the senate feared to admit a state that would possibly give a presidential Democratic majority. In this crisis Mr. Patterson did effective work and it was due to his judicious labors, seconding the influence of Senator Chaffee, that a bill to admit Colorado finally passed both congress and senate. On the 4th of July, 1876, the day of admission, he sent this message from Washington, D. C., to tlie people of Denver: "Through you I greet the Centennial state, the latest hut the brightest star in the political firmament. I am proud of the consciousness of representing the grandest state, the bravest men and the handsomest women on the continent."

Mr. Patterson served in the forty-third and forty-fourth sessions of congress, retiring in 1878 and resuming the practice of law in Denver .. About that time occurred the discovery of the great Leadville silver mines, which resulted in more litigation than had ever existed in a mining camp. He was connected with almost all of the great mining suits that originated there, among them the mines of the Silver Mining Company, whose claim he contested against other mining companies with success. In 1892 he retired from the practice of law, in which he had so long and so successfully engaged, and bought the control- ling interest in the Rocky Mountain News, of which he has since been the owner. In 1892 he was delegate to the national convention of the Democratic party in Chicago. In that conven- tion he, with almost no support, made a brave fight in behalf of free coinage, endeavoring to secure its recognition in the party platform, but he was disappointed. However, four years later the plank was introduced in the platform. Mean- time, he had given his support to the Populist party and in 1896 was its delegate to the St .. Louis convention, where Bryan was endorsed for president.

In Watertown, N. Y., July 23, 1863, Mr. Pat- terson married Miss Kate Grafton, a granddaugh- ter of Alexander Campbell, whose name is in- dissolubly associated with the establishment of the Christian Church. They have an only daugh- ter, Margaret, who is the wife of R. C. Campbell, formerly of Wheeling, W. Va., now of Denver.

While Mr. Patterson has more than once, at the head of his party, suffered defeat in the sup- port of principles he has espoused, yet his has been a most successful life; for the influence of a gifted mind, in molding thought and giving di-

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rection to events, cannot be measured by official position, but is as enduring as time itself. The mental qualities that brought him eminence as a lawyer have made him a power in the newspaper world, a leader in the journalistic field. His in- terest in the welfare of Colorado is that of active patriotism, which works tirelessly to promote the prosperity of the people and secure the develop- ment of local resources. He has adhered with steadfast and zealous support to the principles of free coinage and free trade, when one less devoted to principle might have swerved for policy's sake. To every worthy cause he has come to the aid with a generous response, and much of the beauty and attractiveness of Denver is due to his liberal and active enterprise.

ON. J. E. ROCKWELL, attorney-at-law, of Colorado Springs, was born in Beloit, Rock

- County, Wis., December 14, 1849, a son of Hon. William S. Rockwell, whose sketch appears on page 165. He was educated in the high school and college of his native city. During his college course he spent one vacation season in Wyoming, where he was engrossing clerk for the first terri- torial legislature. The original bill for woman's suffrage, which was passed at that time, and is in his handwriting, was presented some years ago by the territory of Wyoming to the Female Suf- frage Society, in whose archives it is now pre- served. Indians were very hostile in the west, and Mr. Rockwell had numerous narrow escapes. He participated in a fight with the Sioux at the springs near Bryan, where for three days the white men defended themselves, and during the entire time lost only one man. During the three days they were forced to do without a drop of water to quench their thirst, which in that burn- ing alkali region was well-nigh intolerable. He saw eight men who had been scalped by the In- dians, and barely escaped being an eye witness to three massacres, truly making a lively vacation for a school-boy.

The first visit of Mr. Rockwell to Colorado was in 1863, the trip being made overland via stage to Central City. The next year he returned to Beloit. While in this state he located four claims on Bobtail Hill, and for one of these his father, in 1864, refused an offer of $10,000 in gold. When, in 1884, he became attorney for the Bobtail Consolidated Mining Company, owned by Senator Chaffee and David H. Moffat, " he found his claims were a cloud to the clear

title, and accordingly he gave his quit-claim deed to all four claims in order to make the title to the property perfect to some of the most valuable of the company's property.

In the office of Pratt, Rockwell & Ferry, in Kansas City, Mo., Mr. Rockwell carried on the . study of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1874, and during the ensuing two years made his headquarters in Kansas City. Meantime he was sent to Colorado to report the early mining suits with which his father and uncle were con- nected, and it is probable that he was the first stenographer who ever reported a mining case in Colorado. In 1879 he formed a partnership with his uncle, Lewis C. Rockwell, in Central City, Colo., and when the latter removed to Denver in 1882 our subject continued the law business at Central City for two years. In that city he mar- ried Miss Lucia Hackett, who was born in Ver- mont and reared in Beloit, Wis., where they had been playmates in childhood. She came to Colo- rado in 1876, settling in Central City. Of their marriage a son was born, Selden Emmett.

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Portrait and biographical record of the state of Colorado, containing portraits and biographies of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 22

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1530

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1530