USA > Colorado > Sketches of Colorado: being an analytical summary and biographical history of the State of Colorado as portrayed in the lives of the pioneers, the founders, the builders, the statesmen, and the prominent and progressive citizens Vol. 1 > Part 36
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Mr. Mitchell's vocation is undoubtedly his proper sphere, as he has naturally grown into prominence and publie confidence and has the reputation of being one of the best bankers in the west. He is very prominent in club and social life and is a past presi- dent of the Denver Chib and a member of the Denver Country Club.
Mr. Mitchell was married in 1886, at Leadville to Clara Matteson Goodell, eighth in descent from Captain Joseph Sill, 1836- 1896, and daughter of R. C. Goodell of Lead- ville. They have two children : Clark G. and Clara S. Mitchell.
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WILLIAM THORNBURG RAVENSCROFT
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WILLIAM THORNBURG RAVENSCROFT.
R AVENSCROFT, WILLIAM THORN- BURG, banker, born January 9, 1869, in Kingwood, West Virginia, is a son of William H. (M. D.) and Julia (Brown) Ravenscroft. His father, Dr. William H. Ravenscroft, born in 1837, prominent in his profession, died 1911 in Denver, Colorado. His mother, Julia, was the daughter of John Cannon and Martha (Batchelder) Brown. John Ravenscroft, his great-grandfather, came from England and settled in Virginia, Mr. Ravenscroft being connected with some of the old and prominent families of that state.
He was educated in Maryland, and first entered upon his career as a banker with the First National Bank of Fairmont, West Virginia, holding the position of assistant cashier of this bank from 1890 until 1895. His integrity and business qualifications brought him further advancement, and he was made cashier of the Home Savings Bank, Fairmont, West Virginia, which institution he was instrumental in organizing, and cred- itably occupied that place from 1895 until 1901.
In October, 1901, he came to Colorado, be- lieving that the west afforded opportunities for investment and business. His experience as a banker at once found for him the oppor-
tunity he desired in Denver. He was asso- ciated with Colonel William E. Hughes in the organization of the Continental Trust Com- pany in 1902, and for five years was seere- tary and treasurer of that company.
In 1907, he severed his connection with that institution and organized the Federal State and Savings Bank, becoming its presi- dent. In 1911, the Federal State and Savings Bank was converted into the Federal Na- tional Bank, of which institution Mr. Ravens- croft is now the head, and under his able management this bank is already one of the leading financial institutions of the city and state. Mr. Ravenscroft has been engaged in banking for about twenty-five years, dur- ing which time he has been eminently suc- cessful and has won the confidence and esteem of the business and banking world and public in general. From 1908 until 1911, he was prominent as a member of the exec- utive committee of the American Bankers' Association.
He married in 1891, at Rockford, Illinois, Miss Una C., daughter of Calvin L. and Charlotte C. Robinson, of Pasadena, Cali- fornia. They have two children, Lucille S. and Kent Ravenscroft, and the family is prominent in social circles of Denver.
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WILLIAM HENRY LEONARD
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WILLIAM HENRY LEONARD.
L EONARD, WILLIAM HENRY, mining and manufacturing, born in New York City, March 29, 1873, is the son of Robert W. and Mary C. (Barnes) Leonard, who still reside in that city. His father is one of the few survivors of the famous Seventh New York Regiment. At the close of the civil war, in which he won distinction and made a gallant record, the father retired from the service, with the rank of lieutenant colonel Later, he was active in the New York state military, serving as colonel of the Twelfth Regiment of the National Guard of that state. As a colonel of volunteers in the Philippines, he again saw active service, add- ing still further to an already splendid mili- tary record.
Mr. Leonard, the son, was educated at Saint Mark's School, Southborough, Massa- chusetts, and, for a time, was a student at
Columbia College. In 1891, at Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, during the boom, he was engaged in mining. Coming to Den- ver in 1906, was connected with the establish- ing of the Denver Rock Drill Company, and became manager of the same. An extensive business is conducted, with offices in Denver, San Francisco, El Paso; Salt Lake, and, also in South Africa and Australia. The company manufactures the Wangh Drill, at their Den- ver plant, in which one hundred and twenty- five men are employed. These drills, which are now a standard in the market, are shipped to mining companies all over the world.
Mr. Leonard is not married. He is a member of the Masonic order, and of the following clubs: The Denver and Country Clubs, Denver ; El Paso, Cheyenne Mountain Country Clubs, Colorado Springs, and the Union Club, New York City.
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JOHN WALLACE SPRINGER
JOHN WALLACE SPRINGER.
S 'PRINGER, JOHN WALLACE, banker, son of John Thomas and Sarah (Hender- son) Springer, was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, July 16, 1859. His father was a prominent attorney and banker. Mr. Springer is a nephew of the late William M. Springer of Illinois, for twenty years a mem- ber of the house of representatives in the
national congress, and afterwards judge of the United States Court of Appeals at Washington, District of Columbia. His mother, deseended from a prominent Ken- tueky family, was a lady of rare culture and gracious mien.
The Springer family was prominent in the colonial history of this country, and the
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line of descent extends back to Alfred the Great, Henry the Fowler, Otho the Illus- trious, the Czar and Grand Grand Duchess of Russia, to Louis Second, the Springer, Ger- many, 1089, the origin of the name Springer. The family tree also extends back to Charle- magne in 742, and to old Pharamond, in the year 420 A. D. The origin of the name Springer dates from Louis the Second, Ger- many, A. D. 1089, who was military officer under the emperor, Henry IV. Having caused some slight offense to his superior officer, Louis was imprisoned in the battle- ments of the old Castle of Giebickenstein, near Hale, one hundred feet above the river Saale, but owing to his popularity and the fact that he was innocent of any serious crime, no effort was made to bring him to trial. He made his escape after two years of imprisonment, by a leap or spring from the castle, and on being taken before the emperor, was pardoned by the latter, for his courage, and given by him, the name of Springer, which he retained. He was born in 1042, built Wartburg Castle, and died 1128. Further down in the ancestral line are reached Charles Christopher Springer (1658-1738) and his half-brother, Lorentz (Lawrence) (1646-1741). The old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Delaware, erected by Charles Christopher Springer, in 1698, is still standing.
John W. Springer, of this family, and the subject of this sketch, obtained his early education in the public schools of his native town, later attending Asbury College (now De Pauw University), from which he was graduated in 1878, with the degree of A. B. During his college career, he developed those oratorical powers that have since made him distinguished as a public speaker. He was a resourceful debater, and was given the honor of delivering the graduating address of his class, his subject being "Statesman- ship," which he handled in a graceful and eloquent manner. After leaving college, he made an extended European tour, and re- turning home, studied law, a profession in which his father who was a war democrat member of the legislature, later supporting President Lincoln, had been eminent.
John W. Springer, in 1880, was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of the State of Illinois, and opening an office in Jackson- ville, that state, was there engaged in the practice of the law about ten years. In the fiftieth congress, he was clerk of the com- mittee on territories in the house, and thus Hence he is known as one of the ablest pre- siding officers in the country. In 1891, Mr. Springer was a member of the house of rep-
resentatives of the Illinois legislature, and during 1891-1896, he practiced law and en- gaged in banking at Dallas, Texas. In the latter year, he removed to Denver and took a prominent part in the local and national campaigns. He was opposed to the silver issue, as then raised, and left the democratic party, supporting MeKinley for president. He at once became a leader in the business, political and social life of Denver and Colo- rado. He was one of the owners of the Cap- itol National Bank of Denver, and its vice- president, in 1902. He was one of the organ- izers of the Federal State and Savings Bank in Denver.
He is now (1911) president of the Conti- nental Building Company, and the Conti- nental Trust Company (since 1909) ; seere- tary and treasurer of the Continental Land and Cattle Company; president of the Na- tional Live Stock Association, 1898-1905; and president of the Colorado Cattle and Horse Growers' Association since 1907. He has served as a director and vice-president of the Denver Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Springer has also been a member of the National Wool Growers' Association, and the Cattle Raisers' Association of Texas. In an educational line, he has been a trustee of the University of Denver. In 1904, he was the republican nominee for mayor of Denver, and it is claimed that he was counted out through frauds at the polls, although fairly elected to that office. The republican state convention of Colorado, in 1904, heartily en- dorsed Mr. Springer for the position of vice- president of the United States on the national republican ticket.
Mr. Springer is aggressive, and a man of great force of character and ability, and is a prominent figure in all republican con- ventions, and all large gatherings of non- political nature. As a presiding officer and as a public speaker, he has no superior in the state.
Mr. Springer owns and operates a 12,000- acre ranch near Denver, where he also main- tains a beautiful suburban home. In equip- ment, furnishings, and general management, it is one of the finest and most ideal spots in Colorado, and in the management of it he finds his chief recreation. He is a mem- ber of the University Club, Denver Country Club, Overland Country Club, Stockman's Club, Gentlemen's Driving and Riding Club, Pan-Hellenic Club, Denver Motor Club, Real Estate Exchange and Denver Bar Associ- ation. Mr. Springer has one daughter, now living in St. Louis, born of his marriage with Eliza Clifton (died 1904), daughter of Colo- nel William E. Hughes of Dallas, Texas.
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JAMES HERBERT WILKINS
JAMES HERBERT WILKINS.
W ILKINS, JAMES HERBERT, son of Charles and Marianne (Buncher) Wil- kins, was born October 10, 1864, in Lowell, Massachusetts. His father, descendant of the notable Wilkins family of New England,
was born in 1824, died 1896, and was one of the leading merchants of Omaha, Ne- braska. He was the son of Zaddock and Rhoda Wilkins. Zaddock, a captain in the American army, was commandant of Fort
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Warren, Boston harbor, in the War of 1812, and lived to an advanced age, dying May 10, 1864, in his eightieth year. His wife Rhoda passed away June 2, 1874, eighty- seven years of age. The family is one of great longevity. His great grand-parents, Timothy and Mary Wilkins, died respec- tively, February 5, 1820, and January 28, 1820-he eighty-eight years of age and she eighty-three. On the maternal side Mr. Wil- kins is also descended from a noted ances- try. His mother, Marianne, was one of thir- teen children born to James and Maria Buncher. James Buncher spent the latter days of his life in Durhamville, New York, and enjoyed a well deserved celebrity as a portrait and landscape artist, and was su- perintendent of engravers. Through the Bunchers, Mr. Wilkins is related to some of the most aristocratic families in England. His great grandfather, General Leche, ranked high, and was distinguished in the military service of Great Britain. He mar- ried Marie Latone, whose family was con- nected with the proud aristocracy of the English gentry, but consented to give their beautiful daughter in marriage to so dis- tinguished a soldier as General Leche. She was hardly seventeen years of age when she became the bride of the English general, and accompanied her husband to Ireland, where he was dispatched in command of troops. Maria, born in Ireland and afterward mar- ried to James Buncher, was the daughter of General and Maria (Latone) Leche. She grew up a very beautiful girl, and traveled extensively with her parents, who at one time took her to Portugal, where they re- sided several months in the "palace." She was the "danghter of the regiment," and for many years preserved the crimson silk velvet riding habit with its silver canteen and chain she wore while filling that honor- able position. When sixteen years of age, she met James Buncher, of a fine old English family, and after a brief courtship became his wife. After the death of his wife, Gen- eral Lechie was ordered to Canada with troops, where he died. Marianne, daughter of James and Maria Buncher, and mother of Mr. Wilkins, was born at Micham Surry, and afterward removed to Merton, a sub- urb, eight miles from London. The Buncher was an ancient family, formerly known as
Bonnehier, the motto for the coat of arms being "Semper Cristo."
James H. Wilkins was educated in the public schools at Omaha. In 1883, he came to Denver, and in that year entered the em- ploy of the motive power department of the Union Pacific, remaining in their service un- til 1889. From that time Mr. Wilkins be- came interested in real estate and banking, in which he has been successful and prosper- ous. By judicious investments in real estate the latter greatly increased in value. In 1900, he formed a co-partnership with Edgar C. Cornish, the firm being known as the Wilkins & Cornish Realty Company. In the meantime, he had also become cashier for Charles Hallowell, investment banker, which position he held from 1889 to 1894. From the latter year until 1900 he was cashier for Joralmon & Company, investment bankers. He was vice-president and treasurer of the Wilkins & Cornish Realty Company from 1900 until 1909.
Mr. Wilkins' knowledge and experience in Denver real estate and banking, together with his large acquaintance, led to his con- nection with the Continental Trust Company, one of the largest financial institutions in the city, and of which he is vice-president and manager of the real estate and loan de- partment. This position he ably fills, fully meeting the requirements of one familiar with the city's growth and development, with an accurate knowledge as to realty valnes. He has resided in Omaha, Fremont, and Grand Island, Nebraska, first coming to Denver in August, 1883.
Mr. Wilkins is a member of the Colorado Golf Club, Overland Country Club, Denver Athletic Chib, Traffic Club, Denver; Denver Motor Club, B. P. O. Elks, Knights of Pyth- ias and Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Mr. Wilkins married in Denver, October 3, 1888, Miss Lily Agnes, daughter of Thomas J. White of that city. Mr. White, formerly of Kentucky, and a prosperous merchant in Cincinnati, is of Scotch ances- try. Through her line, Mrs. Wilkins is con- nected with some of the most historie fam- ilies of that country, and through the ancient clans to the royal houses of Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins and their family are prom- inent in the social life of the city. They have two children, Helen M. and James H. Wilkins.
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ROBERT WALTER SPEER
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ROBERT WALTER SPEER.
S PEER, ROBERT WALTER, Mayor of Denver, born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, December 1, 1855, was the son of George W. and Jane Ann (Brewster) Speer. His father was an officer in the Union army and made a gallant record during the Civil War.
Robert W. Speer was educated in the public schools and at Diekinson Seminary, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Owing to poor health he came to Colorado when twenty- two years of age. After spending two years in the cattle business on the Colorado stock ranges, he made Denver his permanent resi- denee. He entered the employ of Daniels & Fisher's dry goods store, elerking in the carpet department at $8 a week, and later engaged in the real estate business. Early in his Denver career he became prominent in city and state polities as one of the lead- ers of the Democratic party. In 1880 he was elected city clerk on the Democratic ticket, the only nominee of his party who was successful in that campaign. The Re- publican incumbent, refusing to turn the of- fusing to turn the office over to him, Mr. Speer with two of his friends, bodily ejected him, and breaking open the safe, took charge. The old clerk carried the matter into the courts for re-instatement, but in the mean- time Mr. Speer had not been idle. He had been quietly making investigations and dis- covered what he considered irregularities at the city hall. The contest was dropped and Mr. Speer filled out his term as city clerk. He was postmaster under Mr. Cleveland, serving the term of 1885-1889; was presi- dent of the Denver fire and police board, 1891-1893, and also 1897-1899 ; and was presi- dent of the board of public works, Denver, 1901-1904. He has been mayor of Denver since June, 1904, his present term not ex- piring until 1912.
During the several years that Mr. Speer was city clerk and president of both the fire and police board and the board of pub- lie works, he became thoroughly familiar with municipal affairs, from the smallest de- tails to the broader and higher field of execu- tive work in city government. He started out with the idea of building up a "Greater Denver," and making it a beautiful city. In this he has been eminently successful. New parks have been seenred and these, with the old ones, have been made attractive for both old and young, including play grounds for the children. During his administration the
auditorium, the new library building, the museum at the City park, the public bath- ing house and other public buildings, to- gether with the "Welcome" arch, have been erected, and viaduets constructed. He has also made Denver a "City of Lights." Streets have been graded and paved, curb- ings constructed, boulevards and driveways established. Unsightly and undesirable places within the city limits have been util- ized and beautified. One of the best illus- trations of this phase of the work may be seen in the improvements along Cherry Creek, with its boulevard, parking and lawns. What was once one of the ugliest spots in the city is now being utilized and beautified. The civic center has been planned, and the opening of Broadway, which, with the present and contemplated improvements, will make Denver one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. Mayor Speer has recently returned from Europe, where he spent several months in- vestigating both the details of municipal government in foreign countries and the methods utilized to make cities attractive and artistic. Mayor Speer also believes in a clean city, not only as conducive to health but the aesthetic as well. In all these mat- ters the fame of Denver has gone abroad, and daily inquiries are received from other American cities, as well as from foreign countries, as to methods and plans used in Denver. One of the most popular acts of Mayor Speer's entire administration is the Sunday free concerts at the Auditorium, both afternoon and evening, which are conducted during the winter months and are attended by at least 20,000 people each Sunday.
At the last session of the Colorado Legis- lature, in which the Democrats had a good working majority, Mayor Speer led in the race for United States Senator. He was willing to go into a caucus and abide the re- sult, which his opponents refused to do. His friends then remained firm to the last, and the Legislature adjourned without electing a United States Senator, to fill the vacancy caused by the lamented death of the Hon- orable Charles J. Hughes, Jr.
Mayor Speer is a member of the follow- ing clubs and societies : Chamber of Com- merce, Real Estate Exchange, Colorado Traf- fie Club and Denver Country Club.
He married, in 1882, Miss Kate A. Thrush of Lewiston, Pennsylvania, a lady of cul- ture and esteemed for her many virtues.
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GUSTAVE CHARLES BARTELS
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GUSTAVE CHARLES BARTELS.
B
ARTELS, GUSTAVE CHARLES, lawyer, years as Bartels & Blood, but more recently born January 22, 1858, in Bellevue, Nebraska, is the son of Louis F. and Caro- line H. (Dieterichs) Bartels. His father, Louis F., born in Germany, 1826, died August 27, 1874, was a Colorado pioneer, a prosperous merchant of Denver in the early days, and was a member of the Colorado territorial legislature, in the Fifth General Assembly.
Gustave C. Bartels, his eldest son, who came to Colorado in 1862, attended the pub- lie schools in Denver, and then for four years was a student at Washington University, St. Louis. He was graduated from the Univer- sity of Michigan with the degree of LL. B., in 1879, beginning the practice of his pro- fession in Denver the same year. In 1880, he formed a partnership with James H. Blood (q. v.) a class-mate at the University of Michigan, the firm being known for many
as Bartels, Blood & Bancroft. The firm under the old as well as the new name, is recog- nized as one of the ablest in Denver and the west. Mr. Bartels was corporation counsel of the city of Denver during the adminis- tration of Mayor William Scott Lee. He has always been a republican in politics, and in- fluential as a leader in his party. In 1900, he was the republican nominee for the Colo- rado supreme court, when the state went heavily democratic, and his opponent, the late Robert W. Steele, was elected. He was president of the Denver Bar Association in 1895.
Mr. Bartels is a member of the Denver Club and University Club, Denver; and the Denver Country Club.
He married Miss Emma R. Godfrey in Denver, April 30, 1883. They have one son, Earl G., a lawyer.
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HENRY M. PORTER
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HENRY M. PORTER.
PORTER, HENRY M., capitalist, born in Lancaster, Pa., Nov. 2, 1840, is the son of John B. and Harriet H. (Kurtz) Por- ter. His father, born in Philadelphia, was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his mother, of German descent. Early in life, John B. Por- ter was a boot and shoe merchant in Phila- delphia, and later was engaged for several years in the same business in Pittsburgh. In 1840 he removed with his family to Jefferson City, Mo., where he resided six years; then lived eight years on a farm twelve miles south- west of Jefferson City, and thence to a farm near Kirksville, Adair county, Mo., where he died in 1893.
Henry M. Porter worked on a farm and attended school until eighteen years of age when he entered the employ of the Missouri Telegraph Company, then constructing a line up the Missouri River from St. Louis to Omaha, and thence to Julesburg, Colorado. Owing to his skill and experience in this kind of work, the authorities at Washington of- fered him a position with important and re- sponsible duties during the civil war. En- gaged in the military service in 1861, he con- structed the government lines from St. Louis to Fort Smith, Ark., and down the river to Pilot Knob, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid. Gen. Pope was thus enabled to keep in com- mnnication with headquarters at St. Louis in his campaign against Gen. Pillow, that re- sulted in forcing the latter out of the coun- try, causing the evacuation of Island No. 10 in the Mississippi river. During the con- struction of this line, Mr. Porter was cap- tured by Gen. Jeff Thompson in southwest Mo. and taken into the swamps of that re- gion. Here he remained sometime as a prisoner, was then released and returning to his military work, resumed the construction of the line, which he completed as was orig- inally planned. In 1862, Mr. Porter removed to Denver, and entered upon that success- ful business career in Colorado, New Mexico, and the Rocky Mountain region, that both by investment and development, has made him the leader in many enterprises, and one of the builders of the west. Through him there was established in Denver the whole- sale grocery house of Stebbins & Porter. He was later actively engaged in an extensive forwarding and commission business, es- tablishing banking houses in Atchison, Kan-
sas, and Kirksville, Mo .; mercantile and banking houses in Santa Fe, Elizabethtown, Cimarron, Silver City, and Springer, N. M., and Del Norte, Colorado. From 1871 until 1882, Mr. Porter resided in Cimarron, N. M. during the period he was extending and devel- oping these great enterprises in the south- west. He was president of the United States and Mexico Telegraph Company organized in Denver in 1867, and in 1868, constructed a line from this city to Santa Fe with William N. Byers as superintendent in charge during the building of the same. This company also constructed for the Denver & Pacific Rail- way Company, of which Mr. Porter was also an original promoter, a telegraph line from Denver to Cheyenne.
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