USA > Illinois > Biographical and memorial edition of the Historical encyclopedia of Illinois > Part 52
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GEORGE GREEN.
Undoubtedly the strongest influences in forming the character of George Green were the precepts and example of his God-fearing parents. He was the eldest child of Amos and Elizabeth (MeDade) Green, and was born in Quincy. Ill .. Jan. 20, 1842. From his father he learned to be industrious and to be abso- lutely honest in the smallest detail. This qual- ity was very marked in the business career of Amos Green, who lived a long and honorable life, dying in 1001 at the age of eighty-six years, leaving an unsullied reputation and a memory of which all his children were justly proud. His wife died in 1859 when her son
George was but seventeen years of age, and when he needed her loving care and wise coun- sel. However, she had been most faithful to her trust in the few years she had with her family, and her daily teaching from the Bible and her instructions in the religion she lived, lingered always in the mind of her son, intlu- encing him under all circumstances. We find that good has been the dominant factor in George Green's life, though he spent his most impressionable years in environments gener- ally believed to have a demoralizing effect on one.
At the age of eighteen he made the trip to
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Pike's Peak and returned to Quincy in time to offer his services to his country in 1862. Entering the service as adjutant and first lieutenant of the Seventy-eighth Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, he was mustered in at Macomb for three years. The regiment was at once sent to Louisville, Ky., and until November, served in the army of the Ohio. During the fall and winter of 1862-63 the regiment was engaged in Kentucky and Tennessee, the list important battle being at Stone River, Tenn. After that engagement the regiment entered the Second Brigade, Second Division, Four- . teenth Army Corps. After being ordered to Nashville, it participated in the repulse of Forrest's attack on Fort Donelson and then moved to Franklin, Tenn., where it was on duty until July and engaged in several battles. It then entered the Chattanooga campaign and fought valiantly in the battle of Chickamauga, Rossville Gap and the battles of Chattanooga. At the battle of Chickamauga all of his su- perior officers were killed and Lieutenant Green took charge of his regiment. For this "brav- ery in action" he was commissioned major. While temporarily attached to the Fifteenth Army Corps, Major Green and his regiment were in the important engagements of Mission- ary Ridge, Chickamauga Creek, the relief of Knoxville, Buzzard's Roost Gap and the At- lanta campaign from May to September. 1864. It then fought in the battles of Resaca, Rome and Dallas, Ga. Major Green led his battalion at Kenesaw Mountain, Pine Knob, Peach Tree Creek and engaged in the siege of Atlanta. While in action at Jonesboro, Ga., September 1, 1864, he was severely wounded, and on account of these wounds was compelled to be absent from his regiment. He later rejoined it at Savannah, but on account of the disabilities following the wounds, resigned from the service January 15, 1865. In all of the foregoing battles Major Green was known as an intrepid soldier, conspicuous for his bravery and fear- lessness. Numerous incidents known to his friends and fellow-comrades bear witness of his quick decision and good judgment, where fear was unknown and realization of personal danger wholly absent.
After the war Mr. Green engaged in manu- facturing lumber in Michigan. In 1981 he formed a co-partnership with S. K. Martin and Robert L. Henry of Chicago, and the Duluth Lumber Co. was launched in Duluth on a large scale with Mr. Green as manager. In 1884 he
returned to Chicago where he continued with- out interruption in the retail Iumuber business. During the period of his life included in this time, he was associated with only the best known and the most prominent lumber men in the Central States. George Green was for- tunate in finding reputable men with a thor- ough knowledge of the lumber business ever ready to associate themselves with him. These men have unhesitatingly said that they were equally fortunate in finding it possible to com- bine with him in business. He was experienced in the lumber business as were few men of his time, as he knew every step in the lumber business from the felling of the huge trees in the virgin forests to the manufacture of lum- ber and sale to the consumer. In nearly all of the organizations with which he was asso- ciated in Chicago he acted as buyer of car and cargo lots of lumber. During the great World's Fair in Chicago his company, O'Brien & Green Co., distributed millions of feet of pine and hemlock lumber not only to the expo- sition but to the many buildings that were erected at that time. The O'Brien & Green Co. continued until 1894 when the Green & Lom- bard Co. was formed. On June 28, 1898, the George Green Lumber Co. was organized and under this name business was carried on suc- cessfully. Associated with him in the earlier years of the George Green Lumber Co. were Arthur Gourley, Perley Lowe, D. S. Pate and other well known Chicago lumbermen. During the business career of George Green his fair mindedness and squareness were ever evident. As an employe he was loyal to his employ- ers, as a member of an organization he was square with his associates and as an employer he was liberal with his men and help. This quality was particularly prominent in connection with his willingness to take into his business those of his employes who proved to him their ability and desire to elevate if possible, the very high reputation that his differ- ent organizations had heretofore borne. George Green was merciful, his experience with others in this line proving beyond a doubt that his very first consideration in dealing with un- pleasant matters was mercy, and the effect his judgment might have on others. He was for many years selected as arbitrator in ques- tions that involved every possible kind of tangle in business. He was selected because of his absolute willingness to give his opinion based
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George Green
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on the facts as presented to him, rather than on the basis of favor to either side.
It will be noted that Mr. Green had small opportunity as a youth for acquiring an edu- cation. However a few years in the public schools of Quincy laid the foundations on which his inherent ability built a wonderful structure of useful information gained by wide reading. A most retentive memory, the power of concentration and an insatiable desire to know something about all subjects made bim a most interesting companion. He looked deeply into all the explanations of the Bible, longing for the correct solution of the prob- lem of life. Though attiliated with no church the religion of George Green was an active, honest love for his neighbor exemplified in his daily life, in his home, in his business, and in all his relations with the world. He was a firm believer in God as omnipotent good and this faith was a practical help to him in all the experiences which came to him in his long business career.
Robert Browning's verse describes some of his characteristics as follows :-
"One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward.
· Never doubted clouds would break.
Never dreamed though right were worsted, wrong would triumph.
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better. Sleep to wake."
It is safe to say that no one ever appealed in vain to this great heart. In his gifts for the amelioration of wrong conditions wher- ever found he was not confined to simply giving money, but he gave himself. His time and energy were freely offered whenever he saw he could lift a burden or replace gloom with cheer. If a duty presented itself there was never any argument with self because self was never thought of. The first impulse was the right one and was followed cheerfully and beauti- fully. Naturally in his years of experience he met with many disappointments in friends and associates but he forgave all wrongs and cher- ished no resentment toward the wrong-doer. When business losses came he never became disheartened and no one ever saw him dis- couraged, no matter how hopeless the situa- tion.
At the time of Mr. Green's death the George Green Lumber Co. had been brought to a sur- cessful stage of operation and the careful daily methods of its founder was rewarded by
this fact. His kindly human interest in his associates and employees made this successful outcome of years of work a great gratification for his thought was never selfish nor contined to his own prosperity and the comfort of his own family. That this kindly brotherhood was felt by the entire force of the George Green Lumber Co. was shown when death suddenly took their head. The general feeling that their best friend had gone from them was repeatedly expressed by all, even those who had only known him a short time. In this connection one incident means much. A young German teamster who had been only a short time in the eumploy of the lumber company came miles to get a last look at the kind face be had learned to watch for each day. This youth had been impressed by the simplicity of this man who often stopped for a talk with the boys at their noon hour, sometimes giving a little in- cident from the life of a soldier. The tears which fell from the eyes of this boy as he stood beside that silent form seemed a great tribute. There can be no way of measuring by our finite understanding the good that has been set in operation through the daily life and example of this man, George Green. His estimate of himself was such a modest one and all his kind deeds were done with such unobtrusiveness that one scarcely realized all he had accomplished. Not only do we find a well organized orderly business, but more lasting and more beneficial to the world we find that those who are now carrying on this business have a most earnest desire to conduct it on the lines of right think- ing which ever inspired its founder, and which will influence these younger men through the coming years so that each in his place may radiate this active, vital goodness inherent in all God's creatures and stimulated by what they have seen in the daily life of George Green. His dauntless spirit shone through every sense of bodily impairment, and even when his eyesight was so seriously affected he felt great embarrassment in many ways, he never shirked a duty, each day finding him at his task, making his business his first consider- ation. In the pursuance of the same he came in contact with a circle of business men who with- ont exception expressed their sense of irrepa- rable loss that the cheerful visitor had made his last call. His presence was like a ray of sun- light and no one ever saw him without feeling brighter and better. That such a life must be the reflection of the great animating prin-
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ciple God and that therefore it is eternal gives the only comfort to those who mourn so great a loss.
George Green is survived by his wife, Mar- garet Thompson Green, who has the memory
of more than thirty-one years of beautiful com- panionship and devotion. Of his father's fam- ily only two sisters survive him, Mrs. Mary G. Kelsey, of Denver, and Mrs. Ella G. Mills, of Chicago.
LOUIS MOHR.
While it is certainly true that a great metropolis like Chicago offers many and widely diversified opportunities for advancement along every line of personal endeavor, yet it is just as true that only a percentage achieve distinction, and a large number fail of attaining even a competency. It takes something more than mere opportunity to raise a man from the com- mon level of every-day accomplishments. Unless he has within him that divine spark of genius for his life work, he will continue to belong to the great majority of mediocre humanity, in- stead of climbing up the ladder of endeavor until he is able to command a view of affairs that will give him that grasp on the rounds of events that nothing can loosen.
In reviewing the work of Louis Mohr, the sec- retary and consulting engineer of the reliable firm of John Mohr & Sons, of Chicago, the above facts are given prominence, for he has proven their truth. Mr. Mohr was born in the city of his achievements September 27, 1558, a son of John and Theresa (Meyer) Mohr, and was happy in having sympathetic parents who from the beginning were proud of their promising son. After graduating from the public schools of his neighborhood, Mr. Mohr entered the Chi- cago High School in 1873-1876 and then entered Chicago Athenaeum, where he gave close applica- tion to a special course in engineering from 1876 to 1878. In 187S he entered the University of Illinois and took the full four year course in mechanical engineering. Following the comple- tion of this course Mr. Mohr proceeded to put into practical use the knowledge he had gained by entering the North Chicago Rolling mills for post graduate work in advanced metallurgy. Having gained a valuable experience, he felt he was fitted to assume the duties of secretary and consulting engineer of John Mohr & Sons, and subsequent events have justitied his selec- tion. As the years have succeeded each other, added duties have come to Mr. Mohr and he is now secretary and treasurer of the Whitlatch Mining Company and holds the same offices with
the Gould Mines Company and the Landers Power Company, all of Montana, while he is a member of the firm of Mohr Brothers, and a director of the German Hospital of Chicago.
For years Mr. Mohr has given his support and vote to the candidates of the Republican party, but has never consented to the use of his name upon the ticket. Professionally he belongs to a number of organizations, among them being the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the American Society of Naval Engineers, the West- ern Society of Engineers, the American Geo- graphical Society, the National Geographical Society, the Geographical Society of Chicago, the American Economic Association and the Ameri- can Academy of Political and Social Problems. Socially he belongs to the Crolier Club of New York, the Bibliophile Society of Boston, the Caxton Club, the Industrial Club, the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, the A. A. A. S., the Union League Club, the University Club, the South Shore Country Club, the Germania Maennerchor, the Marquette Club and the City Club. In spite of the exacting demands of bis profession Mr. Mohr has not neglected the fine arts, being a well known patron of them. As a collector of books he has become the owner of one of the finest private libraries in the state, now owning 5,000 volumes which cover the widest range of text. Mr. Mohr's residence is pleasantly located at No. 1520 N. Robey street, while his offices are at No. 319 W. Illinois street, Chicago.
A man of deeds rather than words, Mr. Mohr is rounding out a very successful career. His etlicieney has placed the firm among the leading ones in their line, and his connection with any contract insures honest, reliable work that will withstand every test. As a citizen he has been loyal and true to the city of his birth and resi- dence, and takes great pride in its advance- ment and looks forward to the day when Chi- cago Beautiful will be more than a namne.
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GOTTLIEB MERZ.
The manufacturing interests of a large city like Chicago are of immense commercial lui- portance and to successfully direct a profitable business along any line, in the face of the com- petition that exists, shows keen perception and native ability of no little degree. One of the active men of business for many years, Gottlieb Merz was also representative in other ways, ever interested in the city's progress and gen- erous in his gifts to benevolent canses.
Gottlieb Merz was born at Erlach, Canton Bern, Switzerland, October 14, 1835, and died at his home in Chicago, November 6, 1913. He was a son of Jacob and Mary Merz. When fourteen years of age he became an apprentice to the cabinetmaking trade under a competent workman in his own land with whom he con- tinued until 1863, when he came to the United States, landing at the port of New York. He went to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he remained two years, and in 1865 located in Chicago. With full knowledge of a self-supporting trade, it was not difficult for the young man to secure employ- ment, and he found work with the firm of Stutz and Woltz, furniture manufacturers, who appreciated his skill and kept him employed until 1867, when he left them in order to estab- lish himself in the manufacturing of cigar and all kinds of novelty boxes. His first location was on Kinzie street, where he was prosper- ing when came the disaster of the great con- flagration of October, 1871, when he lost every- thing he possessed by fire. The spirit of enter- prise shown by the stricken business men of Chicago, in the face of such disaster, excited the admiration of the country, and Mr. Merz was one of those who surmounted all difficul- ties, and they were many, and in 1872 re- established his business, finding a site on Twenty-second street, but in June of that year removed to No. S3S North Franklin street. In 1879 he erected a three-story and basement brick building, SOx130 feet, on his present site, Nos. 112-118 West Superior street, where he had plenty of room and every modern equip-
ment to carry on a business that he bad de- veloped to large proportions, manufacturing cigar and all kinds of fancy and novelty boxes, including printing and embossing. In 1897, bis son, Edward G. Merz, was admitted as a part- ner and the firm became G. Merz and Son, and so continued until 1899, when Charles Stierlen, a son-in-law, being also a member of the firm, they organized a stock company, retaining, how- ever, the old name. For many years Mr. Merz practically devoted himself entirely to the furtherance of the business he had founded, so firmly establishing it that it continues, since his death, to be a leader in its line.
Mr. Merz was married at Pittsburg, Pa., February 16, 1864, to Miss Josephine Boppart, who was born in St. Gall, Switzerland, June 17. 1838, and came to Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1863. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Merz, three of whom died in infancy, the others being : Emily, who is the wife of Edgar L. Young, of Chicago; Edward G .; Lillian, who is now the wife of Edmund O. Schweitzer, of Chicago; and Louisa, who died March 16, 1912, was the wife of Charles Stierlen.
Recognized as a man of superior business ability and of sterling character, Mr. Merz was often invited to associate himself with finan- ciers and men of importance in many enter- prises, and was for some years on the board of directors of the North Side State Savings Bank. He was a thirty-second degree Mason, having been a member of Mithra Lodge, No. 410, the Shrine and Consistory. He belonged to numerous German organizations, including the Schweizer Maennerchor, the Gruetli Verein, the Chicago Turn Gemeinde and the Schweizer Aid, and the German Aid Society. He belonged to the German Lutheran church, as does his widow, and in him the church always found a willing contributor to help in carrying on its charitable work. He will long be remembered, not only as a sterling type of citizen, but as a good man in every relation of life.
HENRY CARL PFEIFFER.
In the death of Henry Carl Pfeiffer, Quincy lost another of that generation of business men upon whose enterprise, industry and foresight so much of the material greatness of Quincy was builded. He, with other men of his day, passed
through the earlier period of the city's growth and helped to raise the metropolis of Adams county to its present position. Courage, faith and will belonged to the men of that day, and Henry C. Pfeiffer shared those manly virtues
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fully. His reward was success in a measure any man might hope for, and the respect of his fellow men which all men covet. However, Mr. Pfeiffer was much more than an able business man for he was a publie-spirited citizen, and deserved in fullest dogree the high credit given him in the good opinion of the people of this part of the state, and the regret for his loss was sincere. Mr. Pfeiffer was born in Germany, March 7, 1841, a son of William Andrew and Henrietta (Deneke) Pfeiffer, and died July 14, 1910. In 18G5, he came to the United States, via New York city, direct to Quincy, Ill., where his two elder brothers had already located. Had it not been for the compulsory military service of his country Mr. Pfeiffer would have come to this land of freedom earlier, but he gave the required time to his government, and then was free to follow his own inclinations. He had learned the moulder trade in Germany, and ob- tained immediate employment at it after coming to Quincy, working for others until 1851.
A man of steady, economical habits, and exec- utive ability, Mr. Pfeiffer saved his money and in 1881 organized the Quincy Showcase Com- pany, a concern for the purpose of manufactur- ing all variation of showcases. He was secre- tary and treasurer of this company from the beginning. Within a short period, it became necessary to enlarge the plant, and the com- pany built a large factory at the corner of Main and Second streets, and still later further enlarged it. In time the company branched out into the manufacture of all kinds of fixtures, filling orders for the entire equipment of banks. and other similar classes of fine work. Mr. Pfeiffer continued in the business and held his offices until his demise, although he was not active in the management during the latter part of his life. A long illness rendered it necessary that he refrain from active participation in the details of the business. In addition to his large interest in the great business he founded, Mr. Pfeiffer was a trustee and treasurer of the Old Peoples Home at Quincy for several years: a director of the Mercantile Trust and Savings Bank of Quincy, which institution presented his widow with a book beautifully engrossed, em- bodying the resolutions passed by the board at the time of his death, and he was associated with other concerns in the city of his adoption. The Republican party held his fealty, out he was not active in politics, being essentially a business man in all that the term best implies.
For over forty years he was an active member of the First German Methodist Church, and his family are also equally prominent in this denomination. For a number of years Mr. Pfeiffer was a Mason, belonging to Bodley Lodge No. 1, A. F. & A. M., and he also belonged to the Ancient Order of United Workmen. The following notice, printed in the Quincy Herald at the time of his demise, is of interest :
"Henry Carl Pfeiffer, deceased, was born in Wieda am Harz, Geroman;, March 7, 1841. In 1876 he formed a partnership with John Pieper, forming the Quincy Showcase works. Business mespered from the start aud enlarged until it has become one of the largest and greatest in- dustries of this city. Mr. Pfeiffer was secre- tary and treasurer from the start until his death. The deceased was not only active in the business world, but also in church and benevo- lent work. He was a lifelong trustee and mem- ber of the First German Methodist Church ; also for five years trustee and treasurer of the Old Peoples Rome. He was very active in his philanthropies and a liberal giver to numerous worthy charities and church undertakings. He was a member of Bodley Lodge No. 1 of Masons and the A. O. U. W. He was a director of the Mercantile Trust and Savings Bank since its organization. The deceased was a splendid citi- zen and his passing is sincerely mourned in the community honored by his upright career."
On June 23, 1865, Mr. Pfeiffer was married at Quincy, Ill., to Augusta E. Apel, born in Ger- many, August 31, 1844, daughter of Christian and Caroline Apel, who came to America in 1865, and settled in Quincy, where they both died. Mr. and Mrs Pfeiffer became the parents of four living children, namely: Augusta Carrie, now Mrs. M. T. Koelsch, lives with her mother. She was previously married to Benj. Franklin Mills, deceased, and Esther Verna Mills was a daugh- ter of this marriage. She was born October 7, 1504. Theodore M. Koelsch was born May 9, 1900. Henry C. Jr., second child, was born August 13, 1875, married Clara Peters, has a son, George, born April 15, 1903, and lives in Memphis. Tenn. Until 1912 he was vice-presi- dent of the W. E. Early Wholesale Grocery com- pany of Memphis, Tenn., now a large co-opera- tive wholesale grocery company located at Mem- phis. William A., the third child, married Net- tie Stubbs, lives in Quincy, vice-president of the Quincy Showcase Company. Arthur C., the fourth child, married Susie Tibbits, lives in
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