USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume II > Part 24
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On the 12th of January, 1902, in Chicago, Dr. Pittenger was married to Miss Alice Butterworth, who was horn in Illinois and is also a graduate in medicine, having completed her course at the St. Louis Homeopathic Medical School. Dr. and Mrs. Pettinger have an adopted child, Mrs. Oscar Yates, of Boise.
Dr. Pittenger belongs to the Masonic fraternity, having taken the Commandery degrees in the York Rite and also the Scottish Rite degrees. He is likewise a member of the Mystic Shrine and of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has membership in the Boise Commercial Club, in the Country Club and in the University Club. He is a member of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States. His devotion to high professional standards, his loyalty to every cause which he espouses, his patriotic citizenship and his professional attainments have placed him in an enviable position in public regard.
RT. REV. DANIEL M. GORMAN, D. D., LL. D.
Rt. Rev. Daniel M. Gorman, of Boise, Catholic bishop of Idaho, was horn April 12, 1861, in Wyoming, Iowa, in the little cottage home of John and Mary (Rooney) Gor- man, who had there settled on coming from Ireland to America. The father served as a soldier in the war with Mexico and the spirit of patriotic loyalty and devotion to American interests seemed inhorn in his son, Daniel, and has ever remained a dominat- ing factor in his life. He pursued his early education in his native village and after completing a course in the local academy took up the profession of teaching, which he followed successfully for a few terms. He then entered upon preparation for the priest- hood in St. Joseph's, now Dubuque College. After receiving his diploma there he en- tered St. Francis Seminary of Milwaukee and on the completion of his studies was ordained a priest by the late Bishop Zardetti in St. Francis chapel, June 24, 1893. He was first assigned to a pastorate at State Center, Iowa, where, a contemporary biog- rapher said, "his labors were eminently successful, as was attested by the remarkable loyalty of his flock and their enthusiasm for every good project that he proposed." In 1894 Archbishop Hennessy named him as one of the professors of the diocesan college and with the same spirit of loyalty and determination that he had previously dis- played he entered upon his new duties and was soon a favorite with all the students of the institution, his early experience as a teacher serving him well in this connection. He was at the head of the Latin department and later was transferred to the office of disciplinarian, usually a most unenviable position in a boarding school. Bishop Gor- man, however, cheerfully accepted the new task and inaugurated the policy of leading, not driving, his students, who soon recognizing the spirit back of the new regime gave to it their enthusiasm and loyal support. As a professor he had been a friend of the students and as a disciplinarian he sought always their highest welfare. His methods were extremely successful, resulting in a largely increased enrollment of students, so that it was necessary in 1900 to secure greater space. A large wing was added to the main building of the school that year and ten years later a beautiful chapel, together with a spacious auditorium, were erected. In 1904 he was chosen to the presidency of Duhuque College to succeed Dr. Carroll, who had been appointed to the see of Helena, Montana. Following his promotion Bishop Gorman carried out a most progressive policy, proving an inspiring leader and a champion of everything that tended to noble Christian manhood. One who has known him well wrote of him: "Meanwhile the influence of Father Gorman was not confined to the college alone. His personality as a priest and his ability as a speaker drew numerous invitations to address important gatherings. For the good of the college and the service he could render his fellowmen, he accepted many of these requests, and surrounding states came to know the spirit, the work and the methods of St. Joseph's College. Men have ever been as eager to listen to him as the students, and the Knights of Columbus have made him the principal speaker at several big conventions. . ... The name of such a man must, perforce, become known beyond the confines of his immediate activities. Mount St. Mary's College in far away Emmitsburg, Maryland, heard of the work of Father Gorman and the progress of the school in which he wielded so benign an influ- ence, and on October 15, 1908, that institution conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Laws."
Dr. Gorman, ever realizing the importance of athletics in college life, brought about the erection of a new gymnasium adequate to the needs of Dubuque College in 1913.
RT. REV. DANIEL M. GORMAN
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Loras Hall was also added to the buildings of the institution in 1914, together with St. Francis Hall, a service building, and in 1916 a new science hall was erected. All this work was greatly promoted through the efforts, enthusiasm and wise direction of Bishop Gorman. As a member of the Catholic Educational Association his influence was strongly felt and his views have always carried weight in the councils of that organization. Due to the efforts of Bishop Gorman, Dubuque College became affiliated with the Catholic University of America at Washington and a branch of the University summer school has been conducted at Duhuque College for several years. Bishop Gor- man also instituted military training in the school, to which the war department at his request sent two military officers, who instruct the students in the theoretical and prac- tical phases of military science. Again we turn to a contemporary biographer for an estimate of the worth of the Bishop in relation to the development of Dubuque College. "To promote the interests of the college, Monsignor Gorman is giving his life and his all. Self-sacrificing, patient, serious and determined, our rector has placed God's will before all else. We find him on duty early and late, using his remarkable gifts in the service of the great cause he has espoused. Looking hack over his twenty-three years' association with the college, we cannot but quote a few figures to emphasize its growth. In 1894 the enrollment was sixty with twelve professors; today it is nearly six hundred, with thirty professors. This growth has not been haphazard-it has been due to right order, foresight and persevering work on the part of cur president and his devoted band of co-laborers."
After fourteen years as president of Dubuque College, Bishop Gorman was appointed to the Idaho diocese in May, 1918, and became a resident of Boise, having been ele- vated to the rank of bishop on the 1st of May of that year. With the same earnestness, zeal and consecration he took up his new duties in the northwest and is now most wisely guiding the efforts of the Catholic church in the state.
FRANK J. CLAYTON.
Frank J. Clayton, chairman of the Industrial Accident Board of the state of Idaho through appointment of Governor D. W. Davis and a prominent figure in labor circles in the northwest, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, June 9, 1878, his parents being James and Honora (Durgin) Clayton. The father was born in England and died when his son Frank J. was but eight years of age. The mother was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and died a short time before the demise of her husband.
Frank J. Clayton, thus left an orphan, found a home with an elder sister in Boston. He attended the public schools of that city and was graduated from the Boston high school, while subsequently he pursued a business course. He after- ward learned the printer's trade in Boston, beginning work along that line when eighteen years of age, and prior to this he had earned his living as a newsboy and bootblack and in other humble ways. After serving a three years' apprenticeship at the printer's trade he was employed in various printing shops and newspaper offices in different cities for a number of years and still later he worked at his trade in Chicago, Denver and elsewhere. He held various foremanships previous to coming to Boise, where he arrived in March, 1908, removing to this city from Denver. Here he has since made his home, covering a period of eleven years, and during the entire time until his appointment to his present position he was foreman of the press- room of the Syms-York Company of Boise. He resigned this position to enter upon his duties as a member of the Industrial Accident Board of Idaho in January, 1919. For many years he has been a member of the International Pressmen & Assistants Union of North America. In 1907 he represented the Brockton, Massachusetts, Union of this organization at the international convention which met at Brighton Beach, New York. In 1911 and 1914 he represented the Boise Union in the international conventiou held at Rogersville, Tennessee. He is the labor representative on the Industrial Accident Board. For six years he was the president of the Boise Union, No. 230, and is now serving as its secretary and treasurer. He has been the secretary and treasurer of the Boise Allied Printing Trades Council since its organization in 1908, has been a delegate to two conventions of the Idaho State Federation of Labor and assisted in the organization of the Boise Trades & Labor Council. He has been a close student of labor conditions and problems and is one of the best posted men
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on questions relative thereto in the state, hence his appointment to his position as the labor representative on the Idaho State Industrial Accident Board.
On the 22d of September, 1906, Mr. Clayton was married at Boston, Massachu- setts, to Miss Kathryn Reilly, also a native of Boston. They have become parents of two sons: Francis Randolph, who was born October 6, 1908; and Charles William, horn March 4, 1914. Both are natives of Boise.
Mr. Clayton is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife are connected with the Rebekah Lodge. He is a past grand of the Odd Fellows lodge and has been its representative in the Grand Lodge of the state, while his wife is a past noble grand of the Rebekah lodge. She was formerly a teacher in the Massachusetts schools and is a lady of liberal culture and refinement. Mr. Clayton is a member of the Boise Lodge of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, No. 1120, and for four years served as its presiding officer. He is likewise a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, of which he is a past dictator, and he repre- sented the local lodge, No. 337, as a delegate to the Supreme Lodge at San Diego, California, in 1915. He belongs to the Boise Commercial Club and he is the repre- sentative of labor on the board of directors of that organization. His wife is very active in church work and in the Red Cross, and they are close students of the signs of the times and of all the grave and important problems which the country faces today. Their aid and influence are given on the side of progress, and they put forth earnest and effective effort to ameliorate the hard conditions of life for the unfortunate.
HON. PERCY GROOM.
The Hon. Percy Groom, judge of the probate court of Jefferson county, is a resident of Rigby, where he is an attorney-at-law, and has extensive business interests here and in neighboring counties. He was horn in Manchester, England, January 29, 1874, a son of Nathan and Elizabeth (Hill) Groom, both of whom are also natives of the old country.
Prior to his removal with his family to America in 1883, Nathan Groom was employed as game warden, and after he had landed upon American soil he took his family to Utah, locating in Salt Lake City. Soon his love for the great outdoors asserted itself and this, with the boundless opportunities which surrounded him, caused him to take up the occupation of farming. He soon removed with his family to a farm and there remained until 1899, at which time he and his good wife accompanied their sons northward into Idaho, where the sons located on homesteads in that part of Bingham county which was later incorporated into Jefferson. Here on the virgin soil of Jefferson county the boys, guided by the counsel of their father, laid the foundation for their future prosperity. At the present time both the father and mother are living at the ripe old age of eighty and eighty-one years, respectively, on the ranch belonging to their son, Judge Groom, enjoying in their retirement the fruits of their labor and the results of their success.
It was in England-the land of his hirth-that Judge Groom received his very earliest education. His parents brought him to this country when he was only eight years of age, however, and after the family had located in Utah, he resumed his schooling. Since he was not content with elementary training alone, he entered a church seminary in that state, later doing one year of advanced work in Chicago. Upon his return from school, he entered upon agricultural work with renewed zeal and gained much practical experience under the tutelage of his father until the removal of the entire family to Jefferson county, this state, in 1899. Judge Groom took a homestead in this county, which he has since brought to a high state of development, making a specialty of raising fine Berkshire hogs with marked success. His characteristic energy and good judgment have led him to lend support to the development of business enterprises in Rigby and neighboring towns. He is a stock- holder in the Beet Growers Sugar Company of Rigby, the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, the Iona Mercantile Company of Iona, Bonneville county, this state, the Utah Power & Light Company, and the Simmons-Wolf Mercantile Company of Ucon, Idaho.
A glance at the career of Judge Groom reveals his deep interest in the adminis- tration of public affairs, especially those of a judicial nature. He was admitted to the bar of Jefferson county and carried on a successful practice of law until his
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fellow citizens called him to the office of judge of the probate court in 1914, in which capacity he now serves. He was also chosen judge of the police court of the city of Rigby, the duties of which office he performs along with those of the office of probate judge. Before he was raised to the bench, Judge Groom served as clerk of the village board of Ucon, and as a member of the city council of Rigby for two years. He is a republican in politics.
Judge Groom was united in marriage to Della Short of Ogden, Utah, June 25, 1899, and to them have been born three children, namely: Golden, Elsie and Cleo. Both the father and mother give their aid and active support to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of Rigby, the former serving six years as coun- selor to the bishop and on a British mission two years.
MRS. NELLA M. WEAVER.
Holding to high ideals in educational work, Mrs. Nella M. Weaver is giving thorough satisfaction in the position of county superintendent of schools in Fremont county, to which office she was appointed in August, 1919. She makes her home in St. Anthony. Her birth occurred in Lexington, Kentucky, April 5, 1879, and her parents, John and Margaret (Price) Mitchell, were also natives of that state. Her father was a farmer and about 1861 removed westward to Kansas, where he carried on agricultural pursuits for a few years, but later returned to Kentucky, where he spent his remaining days, passing away in July, 1907. For some time he had sur- vived his wife, who died June 30, 1900.
Mrs. Weaver obtained her early education in Kentucky, supplementing her common school course by study in the State Normal at Emporia, Kansas, while later she became a student in the State University at Laramie, Wyoming, and afterward attended the Central University at Indianapolis, Indiana. Before she was sixteen years of age she had taught school in Kansas and followed the profession at inter- vals while attending college, for it was necessary for her to provide the funds that enabled her to pursue her education. She taught altogether for fifteen years in Wyoming and in 1908 removed to Sugar City, Idaho. Later her husband took up land on Canyon creek and Mrs. Weaver secured the school at Edie, Idaho. She also taught at Canyon Creek for two terms and was afterward engaged to teach at Driggs, Teton county, also at Jackson Hole and at Elk. She was next elected prin- cipal of schools at Jackson City and afterward returned to the Canyon Creek school. Later she taught at Heman, Idaho, and in August, 1919, was appointed to the posi- tion of county superintendent of schools of Fremont county to fill out an unexpired term.
It was on the 12th of September, 1907, that Nella M. Mitchell became the wife of John Weaver. They are still owners of the farm in Fremont county on Egin bench, which they now rent, Mr. Weaver being obliged to give up the active work of the farm on account of impaired health.
In religious belief Mrs. Weaver is connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She is identified with Rebekah Lodge, the ladies' auxiliary of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically she is a republican and she served as deputy county superintendent of schools at Laramie, Wyoming, for two terms. Much of her life has been given to educational work and her activities have been far-reaching and resultant, contributing much to the development of the schools in the localities in which she has lived.
WILLIAM E. GEE.
William E. Gee, cashier of the Farmers & Merchants Bank of Rexburg, was born in Tooele, Utah, October 17, 1875, a son of Erastus R. and Geneva (Telford) Gee, who were natives of Utah. The father went to that state at an early day and when old enough took up the occupation of farming, cultivating rented land for a time. He afterward purchased land in the Cache valley and improved and operated this farm until 1895, when he removed to Fremont county, Idaho, then a part of Bingham county. There he homesteaded and continued the further development
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and cultivation of his place until 1917, when he retired from active business. He has since made his home in the Cache valley of Utah. The mother, however, passed away in 1913.
William E. Gee was reared and educated in the Cache valley, attending the district schools and completing his course in the Agricultural College at Logan, Utah. In 1895 he came to Idaho and worked with his father upon the home farm for three years. He then went on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spending two years in that work in Colorado. He afterward returned to school in Logan, where he continued his studies for a year, after which he taught school for two years in Fremont county, Idaho. Remaining an active worker in the church, he was appointed stake clerk and filled that position for six and a half years. He also filled secular offices in Fremont county, being made deputy auditor and recorder, in which capacity he continued for three years. When Madison county was set off from Fremont county he took a set of abstract books, established his home in Rexburg and opened an abstract office which he conducted until 1915, when, in company with others, he organized the Farmers & Merchants Bank, which was capitalized at fifty thousand dollars and which from the beginning has enjoyed a prosperous existence. The bank now has a surplus of ten thousand dollars. with deposits of three hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Its officers are: Alfred Ricks. president; Nathan Ricks, vice president; J. W. Webster and A. M. Carter, also vice presidents; and William E. Gee, cashier. He has filled that office from the beginning, largely shaping the policy and directing the activities of the bank. He also has an interest in the Madison Abstract Company and in addition he owns a dry farm seven miles from Rexburg.
Throughout his life Mr. Gee has remained an active worker in the church, is first counselor to the bishop of the first ward of Rexburg and has filled other church offices. At the same time he has been prominent and active in community affairs, having served as a member of the city council at St. Anthony, as a member of the city council at Rexburg, and for two years as city clerk. He has always voted with the democratic party, and his aid and influence are at all times given on the side of progress and improvement.
On the 10th of September, 1917, Mr. Gee was united in marriage to Miss Mary Kerr and they have become the parents of four children, namely: Marion, Ivin, Lynn and Merrill.
ROBERT J. HAYES.
Robert J. Hayes was for nearly thirty years a citizen of Pocatello, where he was widely and favorably known. He was born at Oswego, New York, February 27, 1861, and was about six years of age when his parents removed to Chicago, where he attended the public schools. In 1877 he made his way westward to Wyoming, going first to Cheyenne and thence to Rawlins, where he worked in the shops of the Union Pacific Railroad. After three years he removed to Helena, Montana, and later to Billings, where he had a contract to furnish the Great Northern Railroad Company with wood. He afterward took up his abode at Bozeman, Montana, where he operated a pack horse outfit up to the Clarke Fork mine. Later, in California and in Arizona, he continued in the same work for several months and then came to Idaho in 1884.
With his arrival in this state Mr. Hayes established his home at Idaho Falls, where he remained for two years and then went to Blackfoot, where he filled the office of deputy sheriff for two years. He next went to Pocatello, where he entered into part- nership with N. G. Franklin and they established a small bottling plant for the manu- facture of soda water-the first enterprise of the kind in southern Idaho. Under their energetic management the business grew to be one of the largest of the kind in the state, with one of the best equipped plants, and their product was shipped not only extensively over Idaho but also into three other states. Five years prior to his death Mr. Hayes retired from the bottling business and spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest.
He figured prominently in the public life of the community and was a recognized leader in the ranks of the republican party, serving as chairman of the central com- mittee of Pocatello. He was also elected and served as mayor of the city, to which he gave a businesslike and progressive administration. He was very active in politics
ROBERT J. HAYES
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from 1910 until 1914 and did much to shape the policy and interests of the city during that period.
Mr. Hayes was united in marriage to Miss Mary R. Wilber and to them were born six children, of whom William L. is the eldest. The death of Mr. Hayes occurred on the 24th of August, 1918, and in his passing Pocatello lost one of its valued and repre- sentative citizens.
REV. WILLIAM J. BOONE, D. D. -
Among the prominent and widely known representatives of the Presbyterian ministry in Idaho is Rev. William J. Boone, of Caldwell, who though not filling a pastorate at the present time, has done most active and efficient work in the pro- motion of the church and in the upholding of all those agencies which make for intellectual and moral progress. Dr. Boone was born at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1860, and is a descendant from the same ancestral stock that pro- duced Daniel Boone, the famous American explorer. His father, James Boone, a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, was born in 1833, and died March 21, 1919, in his eighty-sixth year on the old homestead in Cecil township, that county, where for many years he served as squire. He married Nancy Craighead, who was a daughter of George Craighead and was of Scotch lineage. She passed away in 1868, at the comparatively early age of thirty-three years, leaving two sons: Dr. Boone, of this review; and George Boone, who occupies the old home place with his father. The Craighead family in America was founded by Colonel George Craig- head, of Revolutionary war fame, who settled in Delaware, whence his descendants removed to Pennsylvania,
Dr. Boone pursued his early education in the schools of Charters and Cecil townships in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and afterward took an academic course in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, being graduated from the Eldersridge Acad- emy with the class of 1880. He afterward entered the University of Wooster at Wooster, Ohio, and completed a four years' course in 1884, at which time the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon him. In 1887 his alma mater con- ferred upon him the Master's degree and in the same year he was graduated from the Western Theological Seminary at Pittsburgh. In 1903 the University of Woos- ter conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
In the fall of 1887 Dr. Boone came to Idaho and entered upon his first charge as a Presbyterian minister, filling that pastorate for four years. He then assumed his duties in connection with the College of Idaho at Caldwell and, although no longer active in the ministry, he has by no means ceased his efficient efforts for the church and the noble ends which it seeks to accomplish, He became one of the founders and organizers of the College of Idaho and for years has been its president. He gave up the ministry after realizing the need in the young commonwealth for more and better educational facilities. His administration of college affairs has been most efficient, resulting in a substantial growth of the institution. The pres- ent buildings and campus are valued at one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars and in the year 1919 the college property was further increased by the erec- tion of a gymnasium and a science building and the campus was also improved. The school has an endowment fund of three hundred thousand dollars, which has been secured through a gift of fifty thousand dollars from John D. Rockefeller, twenty-five thousand dollars from Andrew Carnegie and the remainder from the people of the state of Idaho and from eastern contributors. The major portion of this fund is invested in Idaho and in southern Oregon. As president Dr. Boone keeps a watchful eye over every interest and activity of the school. That he possesses executive ability is manifest in his administrative direction. That his standards of instruction are most high is indicated in the improvements which he is continually introducing; and he has made the College of Idaho at Caldwell one of the valuable institutions of higher learning in the state.
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