USA > Illinois > Biographical and memorial edition of the Historical encyclopedia of Illinois > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
Gc 977.3 B31b v.2 1737562
M. Ľ
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
Ga
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00868 1113
E
M
BIOGRAPHICAL AND
MEMORIAL EDITION
OF THE
HISTORICAL
ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
ILLINOIS
1915
BY
NEWTON BATEMAN, LL. D.
PAUL SELBY, A. M.
AND
SPECIAL AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS
VOLUME II.
V. 2
ILLUSTRATED
494
CHICAGO MUNSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY PUBLISHERS 1915
801
1737562
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
CHARLES WILLIAM SPENCER.
It is the old adage which tells us that "oppor- tunity knocks once at each man's door," that at least one time in a man's life he is given the chance to grasp adventitious circumstance and through it place himself in a position to rise to recognition in the field opened up before hin ;. This is undoubtedly true, as can be proved by thousands of successful careers, but the man who waits for the knock of opportunity will be found far in the rear of the individual who has the ability to make opportunity when his less ambitious fellows have allowed it to slip through their grasp. The modern man of busi- ness has little use for the man who waits for something to "turn up." He realizes that it takes but mediocre ability to take something that has already been developed; and it is, therefore, that the man who makes a place for himself, not the man who takes a place vacated by others, is the one who creates the greatest demand for his services. Some men there are who can follow but one line; their abilities seem to have been developed in but one direc- tion, and oftentimes they never discover their proper field of activity until it is too late, until the best of their power has been contributed to a vocation which their inclination and inher- ent abilities have been wasted upon. It is the man who realizes his proper field, who is pos- sessed of the courage to grasp the opportunity presented in that direction, who rises above his fellows and eventually attains distinction, just for the reason that he has these qualities.
The career of the late Charles William Spencer, of Chicago, was one which, for its record of opportunities grasped and achieve- ments attained, may stand as representative of the busy life which has made this Illinois city the metropolis which it is. His career was closed by death when he was still in the prime of life, yet, considering the disadvantages which he had been forced to overcome, he had accomplished as much as many men would have considered it an achievement to effect in a lifetime of earnest and assiduous endeavor. His youth was one of constant and necessary labor ; his early advantages of the slightest, yet he made himself a recognized factor in the activi- ties of the great city in which he made his home, and was able at all times to cope with and hold his own in the competition, trying
and merciless, which has made Chicago famed .throughout the world for its men of strength of purpose, self-reliance and unremitting perse- verance.
Charles William Spencer was an Englishman by birth, his natal day being April 6, 1869. He was three years of age when he accom- panied his parents from Kent, England, to Canada, and two years later became a resident of the United States when he was brought to Chicago. His education in his early years was decidedly limited, as his parents were in humble circumstances, and when he was eight years old he began to contribute his share to the family exchequer by bringing home the wages earned by him as a cash boy in the store of Carson, Pirie, Scott & Company. Earnest and industri- ous, careful of his employers' interests, always ready and anxious to learn, he earned promo- tion until he was placed at the head of the cash boys in the department, and what was, for him, infinitely better, gained the attention and help of Mr. Woods, the general manager of the store, who, seeing in the boy one whom his acumen told him was bound to develop, had him given good educational advantages. From that time his rise was rapid, and for sixteen years he remained in the employ of this large Chicago house. On leaving their employ, he established himself in a bicycle business, but one year later gave evidence of his good judg- ment by selling out his small business to enter the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. Here again his services were appre- ciated by promotion, and he eventually became traveling passenger agent for this great rail- road company, being so employed until the time of his death, which occurred May 14, 1911, after a stroke of apoplexy. Mr. Spencer's career was too short to develop the full power of a man of his inherent ability, yet he was everywhere recognized as one who had won the confidence of those associated with him by accomplishing all, and more, than had been asked of him. His private activities had left him but little time to devote himself to public life, but his support was given unreservedly to the Republican party. He belonged fraternally to the National Union and to the Masons, and with his family, he attended the Episcopal church.
802
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
Mr. Spencer was married December 17, 1900, to Miss Minerva Maude Kiefer, who was born in London, Ohio, and was educated at Evan-
ston, and to this union there were born two sons : Charles William, Jr., who died at the age of three months; and Virgil.
EUGENE KINCAID BUTLER.
It is claimed by many students of biography and of economic conditions, that technical train- ing is not necessary for the development of successful men and women. These claims are based upon the fact that so many of the great- est men the country has ever produced, espe- cially along financial and industrial lines, have been essentially self-taught, and trained only in the school of experience. Certainly true it is that men who have obtained their education through their own efforts, and while gaining their living, are apt to appreciate its worth, and make, oftentimes, better use of the knowledge thus obtained, than do those to whom are open the doors of universities. Chicago is the home of many institutions which owe their present prosperous condition and world wide recogni- tion, to the sagacity, far-reaching policies and intimate knowledge of conditions, to men to whom an academic training was not given, but who have been graduated from the higher school of practical acquaintance with the matter in hand. One of these men worthy of much more than passing mention is Eugene Kincaid Butler, whose connection with the McCormick Harvester Company extended over a period of thirty-two years, and with other concerns for some years longer.
Eugene Kincaid Butler was born on a farm in the vicinity of Rome, N. Y., June 8, 1843, a son of Ezekiel and Eunice (Shaw) Butler, but removed with his parents to Whiteside County, Ill., in childhood, and there received a preliminary educational training. Later he studied in the high school of Kenosha, Wis., but soon left, called to assist his father in agri- cultural work. The limitations of farm life were irksome to the ambitious young man, and in 1865 he came to Chicago, obtaining a position as salesman with C. H. and L. J. McCormick. His knowledge of agricultural conditions and his acquaintance among the farming class, aided him materially in his work, as he sold direct to the farmers. Until 1898 he continued with this concern through its various changes, first in field work, then as superintendent of the factory, and as secretary and general manager, holding the last named position for many years. Hle commenced to work for C. H. and L. J.
McCormick at a salary of $50 per month, as a clerk in an agency office of the company, in a small town in Iowa. In a very short time he became local agent in this office, and from then on his advance was almost meteoric and at the time of his retirement he was general manager of the company. In 1901 he became interested in organizing and served as a director of the Brownsville, Texas, Land and Irrigation Com- pany, a corporation owning 27,000 acres of rice land, of which 7,000 acres were at once put under cultivation with conals extending more than 40 miles, and a pumping plant with a capa- city of 100,000 gallons per minute. In 1902, Mr. Butler purchased the controlling interest in the Keystone Company, manufacturers of farm implements at Sterling, Ill., and succeeded in bringing that concern to a high commercial standing, and after putting that enterprise on a paying basis, he disposed of his interests and severed his connection as president of the cor- poration. He was also a director in the Iowa National Bank at Des Moines, Iowa, and dur- ing his active career, which covered more than four decades, few men have reached a broader plane of activity and usefulness. In the last few years, he has practically lived retired, and is now enjoying the results of a well spent and meritorious business life.
Mr. Butler was married at Geneseo, Ill., March 5, 1867, to Miss Sarah R. Olmstead, and they have had four children: Hubert W., Frank, Robert S. and Edward Earle, the second dying in infancy. Mr. Butler belongs to the Union League and Kenwood clubs. In politics he is a Republican, but has never desired public othce, his energies having been devoted to his business and many public-spirited actions. For nearly half a century he has been a resi- dent of Chicago, and his love for the city has led him to advocate many movements looking towards its advancement and civic betterment. His charities have been many, but few of them are known to the public, for he is modest in his benevolences and somewhat retiring in dispo- sition.
Life has given much to Mr. Butler, but he has earned the distinction and prosperity which are his. Never has he been known to
Eugene KButler
803
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
shirk a duty, or to be other than thoughtful and considerate for those under his supervision. The enterprises with which he has been con- nected, have all been sound, legitimate concerns and he left all of them better for his association with their management. Looking back over his career, it must be a source of pleasure to him
to reflect that his advancement was gained through merit and knowledge and not by pull- ing down another, or wrecking the work of a competitor. Taking him all in all, no higher praise can be bestowed upon him than to say that in every respect he is a true man and a dependable citizen.
ALFRED LANDON BAKER.
The banking house of Alfred L. Baker & Co. has obtained, in the community, after nearly twenty years of existence, a most enviable rep- utation for stability and integrity. It belongs to the New York Stock Exchange, the Chicago Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade. Alfred Landon Baker, the founder of the firm, was born in Nova Scotia, April 30, 1859, while his parents, Addison and Maria (Mudge) Baker, residents of Boston, were tem- porarily living in that locality. His father was engaged in the wholesale canning business in Boston. He did not live to see his son attain to mature years, and the mother is no longer living.
Early in his youth, the family moved from Boston to Lynn, Mass., and Mr. Baker was graduated from the Lynn High school in 1876. After his graduation, at the end of his sixteenth year, he was a clerk successively in a woolen house and for a boot and shoe firm, and later became private secretary to the treasurer of the Amory and Langdon Manufacturing Co., whose offices were in the old Suffolk Banking building in Boston. During this time, in order to get ahead more rapidly in the world, Mr. Baker studied law, evenings, and was admitted to the bar of Essex County when he was twen- ty-two years of age, and then opened an office in Lynn under the firm name of Baldwin & Baker, attorneys at law. At this time he was a member of the city council and was on the school board. In the fall of 1885, when in his twenty-sixth year, he left Lynn for Chicago and, shortly after his arrival, formed a part-
nership, for the practice of law, with Louis M. Greeley under the firm name of Baker & Greeley. In 1896 he decided to enter the bank- ing business and founded the present banking and brokerage firm of Alfred L. Baker & Co. Mr. Baker is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Stock Exchange, and was president of the last mentioned institution for three years from 1898 to 1000. He is vice president of the National City Bank of Chicago, and of the Calu- met & Chicago Canal & Dock Co. Ile was presi- dent of the Merchants Club of Chicago in 1905 and president of the board of trustees of the Lake Forest University in 1907 and 190S. For the last two years he has been president of the City Club. He is also a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and the So- ciety of Colonial Wars. Mr. Baker is chairman of the present Citizens Terminal Plan Com- mittee which successfully raised $100,000 for the comprehensive study of the entire terminal situation in Chicago.
On June 6, 1804, he was married, at Chicago, to Miss Mary Corwith, a daughter of Henry Corwith of Chicago, and has two children, namely: Isabelle, who was born in 1897; and Mary Landon, who was born in 1901.
Although devoted to his business Mr. Baker believes that the devotion of a good portion of time and thought to 'the interests of the com- munity is of equal importance and not incon- sistent with one's personal success. Reading and the game of golf are his recreations.
WALTER DANIEL JONES.
In an age that is essentially commercial, it is refreshing to discover a few whose lives have been spent in scholarly pursuits, and whose pleasures centered in deep and productive studies. Such men even though their span of years may have been brief, in dying leave be- hind them records that stimulate others to fol-
low in their footsteps and emulate their exam- ple. The learned profession of the law has always attracted to it men of more than or- dinary ability, for in its study and prosecution those of scholarly habits and logical minds find congenial expression, and from it have come some of the most noted men this country has
804
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS. .
ever known. Within recent years many of the legal lights of Illinois and other middle western states have sought Chicago, where they have advantages and opportunities not to be found elsewhere. The strain of metropolitan life has been too great for some of them, who in striving to live up to their convictions of professional honor and to meet the demands of their clients, have broken down and passed away from the scene of their activities. Such was the case with the late Walter Daniel Joues, brilliant law- yer, profound scholar and desirable citizen. Mr. Jones was born at Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Ind., May 19, 1862, a son of George Jones. The latter was a native of Crawfords- ville, where he spent his useful life, developing into a farmer who specialized on wheat grow- ing. He married there and had three children, namely : Edward, Margaret and Walter Daniel.
Walter Daniel Jones was educated in the common schools of Madison Township, in his native county, and later went to Wabash Col- lege and the State Normal school, thus prepar- ing himself for the profession of teaching, with the end in view of becoming a lawyer. For ten years he studied and taught, becoming prin- cipal of the Linden graded school, and was graduated from the legal department of the In- dianapolis University in 1806. Following this, . Mr. Jones was admitted to the Montgomery County bar, the appellate and United States courts, and in 1901 to the Department of the Interior at Washington, D. C., and continued in practice in Indiana until 1903, when he came to Chicago, for the first year being in the offices of the law firm of Rosenthal, Hurst & Kirsel in the Chicago Title & Trust building. He then opened an office of his own, and continued in active practice in the Ashland building, until his death, July 8, 1914. Mr. Jones, or as he was familiarly called, "Judge" Jones, was a recognized authority upon questions pertaining to bankruptcy and corporation law, and during his latter years his practice was principally con- fined to the federal courts. In all of his work he was ably seconded by his wife, a lady of much more than average ability. In fraternal
circles Mr. Jones was well known, for he was one of the most enthusiastic of. Odd Fellows, be- louging to every branch of that order, including the encampment of Canton, and was Past Grand, ex-clerk and acting Chief Patriarch. In addition he was a Master Mason, and belonged to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Sons of Ben Hur. His prominence in his pro- fession led others to make him president of the Indianapolis Lawyers' Association, and chair- man of the Chicago Lawyers' Association, and in these organizations, as in those of a more social nature, Mr. Jones was admittedly one of the most popular members, and deservedly so, for his striking personality and natural geniality won for him friends among his asso- ciates wherever found. After coming to Chi- cago, Mr. Jones became a convert to. the doc- trines of Christian Science and found much comfort and pleasure in his belief.
Walter Daniel Jones was married to Etta Marie Brown, born on the farm of her father in Montgomery County, Ind., December 6, 1864, a daughter of Levi and Amanda ( Bolser) Brown, natives of Ohio and Germany, respec- tively. The father was a farmer of Montgom- ery County, Ind., and a man of substance in his community. After their location at Chicago, Mrs. Jones was admitted as a member of her husband's office force, and was his competent assistant until his death. Not only was Mr. Jones an able educator, logical lawyer and pleasing companion, but he was also a deep thinker and student of the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare. So thoroughly did he master both volumes, that he became a ready reference guide and never failed to answer promptly any questions asked of him regarding either. He took a pride in his studies in these directions, and could quote at length from either. Keeping in such close touch with the two greatest masterpieces of the English lan- guage, his conversation and thoughts were tinged by the lofty and spiritual tone of them, and his character was broadened and sweetened thereby.
ALBERT GOLDSPOHN.
A record of the professional career of Dr. Albert Goldspohn of Chicago shows that he bas been an honor to his calling and a valuable addition to the ranks of those who are labor- ing to bring about necessary changes in the
management of civic affairs. A man of deep learning, profound in his ideas, practical in his suggestions, Dr. Goldspohn has naturally taken a notable place among bis. associates. For many years he has figured prominently in
..
805
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
the medical profession of Chicago, and has maintained throughout his entire career a high standard of ethics and honorable practice. He is a worthy member of the Chicago Medical fraternity and is looked upon as one of the able physicians and surgeons of the city. The spirit of progress which has been the dominant factor of the nineteenth and the opening years of the twentieth century has been manifest in no connection more strongly than in the med- Jeal profession where investigation and re- search have brought forth many scientific facts and principles, solving nature's secrets. Step by step Dr. Goldspohn has kept pace with the march of improvement and while numbered among Chicago's earlier physicians, he is called with the capable and efficient members of his profession, owing to the fact that he has ever kept in close touch with the most advanced work that has been done by the leading men, not only here, but in foreign countries. Dr. Goldspohn has displayed a remarkable capabil- ity along educational lines and his compre- hensive knowledge of anatomy and the com- ponent parts of the human body and the on- slaughts made upon it by disease makes his judgment most valuable in surgery to which he has in later years practically devoted his specifie attention.
Dr. Goldspohn was born in Dane County, Wis., September 23, 1851, a son of William and Frederika (Kolinmann) Goldspohn. Ile received his educational training in the pub- lic schools of his native state and at the North- western College at Naperville, Ill., being graduated from the latter institution in 1875, with the degree of M. S. In early childhood. he had decided upon entering the profession of medicine, and accordingly after completing his course in the Northwestern College, he ma- triculated in Rush Medical College of Chicago, in which he took a thorough course, being grad- uated in 1878 with the degree of M. D. After his graduation he was an interne at the Cook County Hospital for nineteen months, at the close of which period, in 1870, he established himself in the practice of medicine at Des Plaines, Cook County, Ill., where he continued until 1885. Wishing to obtain a more thorough knowledge of medicine and surgery, he went abroad and pursued post-graduate work in sur- gery and women's diseases in five of the most noted universities of Germany, during 1885, 1887 and again in 1899, thus coming under
the instruction of some of the most eminent physicians, and surgeons of ibe old world. Since 18$7, he has been a worthy representa- tive of the medical profession at Chicago, and bis worl: has brought him to a high standing in his profession. Since 1802 he has been professor of diseases of women in the Post- Graduate Medical School of Chicago, and was attending surgeon in the department of dis- eases of women and abdominal surgery to the German Hospital until 1906. He was also at- tending surgeon in the department of diseases of women and abdominal surgery in the Post- Graduate Hospital of Chicago, and since 1906, he bas been surgeon in chief of the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital of Chicago. He is the author of nearly half a hundred original themes on various subjects in surgery and diseases of women and is one of the most skilled and pro- ficient along these lines in his profession.
Dr. Goldspohn is a man of broad information along many lines, and in his profession he has * kept in close touch with all that research is bringing to light. He is a member of the Chi- cago Medical Society, the Chicago Medico-Legal Society, the Chicago Gynecological Society, the Illinois State Medical Society, the Mississippi Valley Medical Association, the American Medi- cal Association, the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Inter- national Periodical Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Dr. Goldspohn is a Repub- lican in his political views, though independent, and usually casts his vote for men whose poli- cies are for the best interests of the country regardless of party ties. He is a member of the Evangelical Association and is numbered among the best citizens of Chicago. A well- read man, his great pleasure is found in the further study of medicine and its allied sci- ences. He holds to high ideals in his profes- sion and is constantly seeking to broaden his knowledge that his labors may be more effective and with discriminating intelligence, selects the best methods for the treatment of individual cases, the soundness of his judgment being manifest in the excellent results which follow his labors. Dr. Goldspohn resides at No. 2118 Cleveland avenue, and maintains his office at No. 2120 Cleveland avenue where he has an extensive and lucrative practice.
Dr. Goldspohn was married in 1887 to Miss Cornelia E. Walz, a native of Stuttgart, Ger- many, who died in 1901 without issue.
806
HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
SIMEON H. BUSEY.
In the family of Busey the traditions of abil- ity, honor and worth left by those who have gone beyond set a worthy precedent which the present generation, and that from which it sprang, have followed, to which they have added a life chapter that must prove an inspiration and a positive incentive to those destined to come after them. Among the most notable ex- ponents of the family's integrity and business capability was Simeon H. Busey, a represeuta- tive of the State of Illinois, who left a lasting imprint on the commercial, territorial, finan- cial and social institutions of Champaign County.
Simeon II. Busey was born October 24, 1824, at Greencastle, Ind., the eldest son of Col. Mat- thew W. Busey, who was one of the early large land-owners in the county. It was in 1832 that Matthew W. Busey came to this part . of the state, buying considerable property at that time, and it was largely through his great influence that the location of the county seat was secured to Urbana. Simeon HI. Busey was nine years old when he came, with his parents, to Illinois with the purpose of making Urbana his future home, and here he enjoyed the re- maining years of his youth. Although the avail. able facilities for education were then limited in the extreme, by heeding the advice of his parents and by making the best use of each op- portunity, he acquired, not only a superior busi- ness ability, but a culture and refinement that lifted him to a position of much personal re- gard among his friends. By foreseeing the in- crease that would inevitably come in the value of Illinois farm lands, and by making a large acreage throughout the county his property, he was assured, by this venture of a financial in- dependence. Not content with such enterprise alone, he assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Champaign, later sell- ing his interest in that corporation to become a co-founder with his brother, Colonel Samuel T. Busey, of Busey's Bank of Urbana. This institution has become a synonym through the surrounding territory for sound banking, square dealing, and unquestioned financial standing. The judgment of long experience in banking, which Mr. Busey invariably associated with his work, made his name, as a backer of other works of like character, desirable. He was a charter member and a director of the Banker's National Bank of Chicago until the time of his
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.