USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Historical review of Chicago and Cook county and selected biography, Volume II > Part 18
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Mr. Bastrup was married in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 4, 1884, to Nancy Gundorph, and has one daughter, Stephanie Ade- laide. He is a member of the Federal, State and Chicago Bar asso-
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ciations and of divers clubs without being a club-man. He is a Re- publican, politically, and resides at 597 La Salle avenue.
William Busse is the first native son of Cook county to be elected president of its board of commissioners, having for the six years pre- WILLIAM BUSSE. ceding his assumption of its important duties been one of the most practical and useful members of that body. As a commissioner he has always manifested great interest in the welfare of the insane, the sick and the worthy poor, and the fact that the conditions surrounding these unfortunate wards of the county has greatly improved within the past seven years is largely attributable to his wise and ceaseless labors in their behalf. As the successor in the presidency of the board of E. J. Brundage, in addition to his other responsibilities, he is charged with the great work involved in superintending the construction of the new county building, which is one of the imposing and beautiful architectural monuments of Chicago. It is a strong man who assumes such bur- dens, and one element of his strength which has not been mentioned comes from his experience as a representative of the board from an outlying district of the city, this circumstance having enabled him to have an especially comprehensive appreciation of the needs of the county ; he thoroughly understands the requirements of both munici- pality and the so-called country lying within the limits of Cook county. A man who had spent all his life in Chicago, or the larger cities, would fail to possess this element of strength in the makeup of a president of the board.
Mr. Busse was born at Elk Grove, Cook county, Illinois, on the 27th of January, 1864, the son of Louis and Christine (Kirchhoff) Busse, both natives of Hanover, Germany. His father, whose birth occurred November 4, 1837, came to the United States in 1848 and settled at Elk Grove, where he was first engaged in farming and later in general merchandising. He died December 19, 1903. The mother was born February 25, 1847, and emigrated to Illinois from Germany in 1853, her marriage to Louis Busse occurring April 16, 1863. The mother still resides in Elk Grove, and of the nine children born to her all are living, William Busse being the eldest.
Mr. Busse was educated in the public and German parochial schools of his native locality, and until he was twenty-one years of age assisted his father in the conduct of his agricultural and mercan-
2
William Busse.
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tile interests. Then for four years he was an independent and suc- cessful farmer himself. But as an ardent Republican he early became interested in public and political affairs, and his earnestness of pur- pose, sympathy with the unfortunate, straightforward and moral char- acter, practical common sense and ability, earned him the respect and friendship of all classes and marked him for preferment from the out- set.
In 1890 Mr. Busse was appointed deputy sheriff. under James H. Gilbert, holding this position both under him and Sheriffs Pease and Magerstadt. and serving ten years. In this capacity his service was so noticeable for its impartial fearlessness and yet courteous and open bearing that both his popularity and reputation for reliability and ability was greatly broadened. In 1900 he was elected to the board of Cook county commissioners from the country districts, re-elected in 1902, 1904 and 1906. being chosen president of that body April 15. 1907. During all this period he has been a member of the building committee. He was also chairman of the special committee which had charge of the rewriting of the abstract books of the recorder's office --- one of the most extensive and important undertakings ever accomplished by county legislation. For four years he was a mem- ber of the finance committee, and its chairman from December 1, 1906, until April 15. 1907, and now by virtue of his position as presi- dent of the board he is chairman of the special committee in charge of the building of the court house. In June, 1907. Mr. Busse was appointed by Governor Deneen a delegate to the National Confer- ence of Charities and Corrections at Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Mr. Busse's practical ambition and great capacity for accom- plishment are shown by his varied interests outside his official re- sponsibilities. Since 1897 he lias been engaged in general merchan- dising at Mount Prospect, his residence, the business now being con- ducted under the firm name of William Busse and Son. He is also engaged with two of his brothers in the real estate business at that place, and is individually a director of the Arlington Heights State Bank. In his home locality he has always been a leader in educa- tional work, especially in its connection with the public school sys- tem, and for twelve consecutive years has served as secretary of the Mount Prospect board of school trustees.
Married June 11, 1885, to Miss Sophia Bartels, Mr. Busse's first
Vol. 11-12
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wife (born in Schaumberg, Cook county, March 28 1866) died on the 20th of February, 1894, leaving five children. Later he was united to Miss Dina Busse, and to this marriage one child is living. The family are all faithful and earnest members of the Lutheran church. Personally. Mr. Busse is a member of that well known Re- publican organization, the Hamilton Club, and is now acknowledged to be one of the strongest representatives of the party in this section of the state.
Ben M. Smith, who was re-elected judge of the superior court by so handsome a majority in April, 1907, was born at Colona, Henry county, Illinois, June 14, 1863. He attended village
BEN M.
SMITH. school, worked on a farm, clerked in a country store,
taught district school and had his experience as a railroader. As his father, Rufus A. Smith, was connected with the railroads, the ambition of the boy was to follow in the paternal foot- steps. But the labors of his youth and early manhood seemed to be full of variety, and not calculated to keep him in any special channel. One day he would work on the farm, the next he would fan oats in his father's grain elevators, the third day he might harness up the horse and go among the farmers to buy hogs for shipment, and the fourth day might find him selling plows or weighing grain. Al- though such a life was active and invigorating, it was not satisfactory to the young man, whose mind naturally ran upon intellectual and literary subjects. At one time he designed to teach school as a per- manent occupation, and to prepare himself attended the Northwest- ern Normal School at Geneseo, Illinois, for about a year, but, after a thorough examination of the possibilities and probabilities of the profession, decided that pedagogy did not offer him sufficient induce- ments to make it his life work.
There was only one profession to which a man of Judge Smith's hardy, practical and broad nature could turn with confidence as offer- ing him a field of sufficient fertility and elasticity for every purpose, and while still an employee of the county clerk's office at Cambridge he had spent his evenings in the study of the law. Fresh from this employment he came to Chicago, January 2, 1889, and entered the Union College of Law for a regular professional course. While thus engaged he worked for Haddock, Vallette and Rickords in the court-house, examining records and making memoranda for their
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abstract business. He was also employed as a clerk by John T. Rich- ards, Abbott, Oliver and Showalter, and H. S. Mccartney, the young man carrying on these occupations until his graduation from the Union College of Law in June, 1890.
In the preceding December Judge Smith had been admitted to the bar, and in September, 1890, entered into practice. In May, 1891, he formed a partnership with John P. Hand, now a judge of the Illinois supreme court, and Thomas E. Milchrist, then United States district attorney, under the firm name of Hand, Milchrist and Smith. This association continued for four years, when Judge HIand returned to Cambridge, Illinois, and Mr. Smith was in partnership with Mr. Milchrist until May, 1897.
In January, 1897, Mr. Smith was appointed by Governor Deneen as assistant state's attorney, and since then he has been in the public eye as a prosecutor and a judge, in both of these diverse capacities making such a record that his advancement has been a matter of course. In January, 1901, he resigned from the office of state's at- torney and entered the firm of Castle, Williams and Smith, from which Charles S. Cutting had retired to serve as probate judge. In this connection he continued in private practice, of a civil nature, until his election as judge of the superior court in November, 1905. Judge Smith's versatility and adaptability find striking illustration in his success as a prosecuting criminal lawyer, as his practice both be- fore and after his term as state's attorney was mainly civil in its na- ture.
Entering with characteristic vigor and discrimination upon his duties as superior judge, Ben M. Smith so demonstrated his judicial and executive ability that in December, 1906, he was elected chief justice, which position he held when re-elected to the superior bench April 2, 1907. His plurality over both Democratic and Prohibition candidates was 36,731. One of the most notable trials over which he has presided was the Ivens case, which has had a world wide and terrible notoriety. Upon his unimpeachable record as a lawyer, a man and a judge, the re-election of Judge Smith was a foregone con- clusion.
On September 9, 1891, Ben Mayhew Smith was united in mar- riage to Miss Katherine C. Walton, their two children being Frances W. and Mabel M. He is identified with Masonry and the Knights of
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Pythias, and is a member of the Chicago Athletic Club, thus keeping alive the memories of his younger days, and as a man of middle age still participating in some of the forms of exercise most conducive to physical and mental vigor.
Of the eminent corporation lawyers in Chicago, none is more generally admired and esteemed for professional ability and personal
JOHN S. character than John Stocker Miller, of the widely
MILLER. known firm of Peck, Miller and Starr. His broad reputation as an attorney rests not only on the mas- terly conduct of great cases which have been entrusted to him as a private practitioner, but on the splendid discharge of his duties as corporation counsel of the city of Chicago under Mayor Washburne.
Mr. Miller is a native of Louisville, St. Lawrence county, New York, where he was born on the 24th of May, 1847, son of John and Jane (McLeod) Miller. After receiving a preparatory education in the common schools and academy of his native place, he became a student at St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York, from which he graduated in 1869 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and for two years thereafter studiously laid the groundwork of his profession in the law department of that institution. In 1870, after being ad- mitted to the New York bar at Ogdensburg, he was appointed to the chair of mathematics by his alma mater, holding that professorship throughout 1871-2 and that of Latin and Greek in 1872-4. In the latter year he resigned his place on the faculty and came to Chicago to enter the practice of his permanent profession.
Mr. Miller soon came into prominence, even among the many bright young lawyers who made Chicago their home in the years immediately following the great fire, which caused the re-adjustment, through the law, of so many important interests. In 1876, after he had practiced alone for two years, he formed a partnership with George Herbert and John H. S. Quick, under the firm name of Her- bert, Quick and Miller. These connections continued unbroken for ten years, when (in 1882) occurred Mr. Herbert's death and the change of style to Quick and Miller. The subsequent changes, pre- ceding the formation of the present firm of Peck, Miller and Starr, include an association with Henry W. Leman in 1886, his retirement, the admission of Merritt Starr in 1890, and later the formation with George R. Peck and Mr. Starr of the present firm.
During the latter years Mr. Miller's practice has been chiefly in
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the chancery courts, and among his more important cases prior to his identification with the municipal law department were those known as the Flagler litigation, the Riverside, the Phillips and South Park suits. These cases brought him so prominently and favorably before the bar and the public that in 1891 Mayor Washburne appoint- ed him corporation counsel. He held the position during the mayor- alty term, and won a notable victory for the city in its suit against the Illinois Central Railroad over the Lake Front property. The re- sult of the case was to firmly establish the great municipal principle that the bed of navigable waters is the property of the people and is held in trust by the state for their benefit.
Since retiring from office Mr. Miller has continued his private and partnership practice, largely devoted to commercial and corpora- tion law. His high standing in these specialties was greatly advanced by his participation in the Packing House, Standard Oil and John R. Walsh cases, in which he was the leading counsel for the defense. They were acknowledged to be among the most important suits which the government ever prosecuted, and to be professionally identified with them in any capacity was a forcible verification of leadership in the legal fraternity. Involved in the noteworthy litiga- tion were the responsibility of great corporations and leaders of broad interests to the law, and their duties to the public from which they drew the life of their enterprises; and the pressing need of some radical revision of the Inter-State Commerce law defining the com- parative regulating powers of state and national governments. When the Supreme court of the United States shall pass upon these matters. whatever the decision of that high tribunal, bench and bar will fully recognize the radical part played by John S. Miller in the adjustment of these broad principles.
Married in Chicago, December 15, 1887, to Miss Ann Gross, Mr. Miller is a potent factor in social and club life. Branching from his home as a social center, liis activities in this direction extend to the Union League Club (of which he was president in 1899), and the Chicago, Hamilton, Chicago Literary, University. Exmoor, South Shore Country and Onwentsia Golf clubs. He is a member of the St. Paul's Episcopal church, and altogether a typical Chicago citizen. who believes that the surest way to advance his own interests and
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be of benefit to the public is to come into close contact with as many people and interests as possible.
Among the strong figures of the day who are boldly standing for political reform by leaving the choice of legislative representatives to
themselves, none of the younger leaders in the state WALTER of Illinois has a better record and a more apprecia- CLYDE JONES. tive audience than Walter Clyde Jones, the present state senator from the fifth district of Cook county. He is one of the most forceful advocates before the public for an ef- fective primary election law, which he contends "should have for its objects the placing in the hands of the people the selection of the United States senators, self government in the choice of the senate, as well as in the choice of the president. We should have a primary law, moreover (he continues), which shall have the ultimate effect of eliminating the party convention from our political system." His watchword, in short, is "self-government, for the nation, the state, the municipality and the people."
Broad as is his political platform, Mr. Jones is far from confining his activities. to this field, his education and his experience having endowed him with both wide scope and great versatility. Born De- cember 27, 1870, at Pilot Grove, Lee county, Iowa, he comes of that Quaker stock on both sides of his family which has assured him the unfailing earnestness of purpose which is a marked character trait. His father was of Welsh descent, born in Harrison county, Ohio, and was among the Iowa pioneers of the thirties; his mother was of Eng- lish ancestry.
Walter Clyde Jones attended the public and high schools of Keo- kuk, Iowa, graduated from the Iowa State College in 1891, from the Chicago College of Law in 1894, and received the degree of LL. B. from the Lake Forest University in 1895. In 1902 he obtained an honorary degree from the Iowa State College, of whose national alumni association he has been president, having also held the presi- dency of the Chicago organization. He was admitted to the bar in 1895, and is senior member of the firm of Jones, Addington and Ames. A feature of his individual practice has been electrical litiga- tion, and in all matters electrical, both practical and scientific, he is an acknowledged expert. Indicative of his standing are the facts that he was an organizer and president of the Chicago Electrical Associa-
Walter Clydefonico
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tion (now a branch of the Western Society of Engineers), and a member of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia and the Engineers' Society of New York. In this line he has also been instrumental in establishing and developing the Benjamin Electric Manufacturing Company (manufacturers of electric light fixtures) and the Perry Time Stamp Company (builders of time recording devices). Ilis connection with professional organization is with the State and City Bar associations, and he has contributed liberally to current literature on legal, electrical and other subjects. Conjointly with his partner, Keene H. Addington, he is author and editor of "Jones and Adding- ton's Annotated Statutes of Illinois," which work contains all the laws of the state analyzed and arranged, and a digest of all the court decisions bearing upon the various statutes. The preparation of this work has especially familiarized him with state legislation and judicial precedence, and makes his own services as a legislator of remarkable weight. With his partner, he is also editor of the "Appellate Court Reports of Illinois." As a leader in the charter legislation of Chicago he is among the foremost. As his thorough legal acquirements have been reinforced by extensive travels in this country and abroad, dur- ing which he was a thoughtful student of affairs, he has acquired a breadth, as well as a depth of view, which is enjoyed by few of his age before the people.
Since 1896 Walter Clyde Jones has taken an active and effective part in local, state and national politics. He inaugurated his career, in that year, as an enthusiastic supporter of Mckinley, being one of the organizers and vice-president of the First Voters' League. He campaigned for Judge Carter in the gubernatorial contest of 1900. and for Harlan as mayor in 1903. In 1904 he was a delegate to the deadlock convention which finally nominated Governor Deneen, and has campaigned in every state and national contest since 1896. As stated, he began his political career as an ardent advocate for the election of Mckinley to the presidency, being a personal friend of the martyr chief executive. During the fall festival of 1899 he was ap- pointed chief aide to President Mckinley, and as a member of the reception committee had immediate charge of the arrangements for the reception of the president and his cabinet. In 1900, at the time of the Grand Army encampment, he ably and gracefully filled the same position.
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As to the movements directly concerned with the civic reform of the city and state, Mr. Jones was one of the organizers and speaker, in 1895, of the Young Men's Congress, which for a number of years did so much to stimulate thoughtful consideration and active partici- pation in public affairs. He was one of the committee of thirty that organized the Legislative Voters' League, and has been consistently active in the work of the Civic Federation, being appointed chairman of the legislative committee originally organized to undertake the work now performed by the Legislative Voters' League. Mr. Jones is also a member of the Union League, Hamilton, Quadrangle, City, Illinois Athletic, Midlothian Country and Calumet Golf clubs, of Chi- cago, the Lawyers' Club, of New York City, and the Cosmos Club, of Washington; he is a property owner, happily married, has a family consisting of a wife, son and daughter, and is altogether a man who touches and improves life on many sides.
Edwin R. Thurman, of the firm of Thurman, Stafford and Hume, lawyers, has practiced law in Chicago since 1894. He was admitted EDWIN R. to the bar in Tennessee in 1882, and continued to THURMAN. live in that state and practice law until he moved to Chicago. The first six years after coming here he was one of the attorneys for the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, but since the latter part of 1900 has devoted all his at- tention to the general practice of law, and was for about four years a partner of Judge A. N. Waterman of the Chicago bar.
Mr. Thurman was born at Lynchburg, Campbell county, Vir- ginia, August 9, 1860, and his branch of the Thurman family is one of the oldest on American soil and one of the most prominent among the F. F. V.'s. One member of it was the statesman and jurist, Allen G. Thurman. Another was Robert Thurman, affectionately known as Uncle Bob, who was a soldier in the Revolution and an intimate friend of Lafayette. Samuel Brown Thurman, the father of the Chi- cago lawyer, was born in Campbell county, the ancestral seat of the family, August 5, 1815, and died November 4, 1892. He was a merchant and farmer. His father was named Richard. For two hundred years the Thurmans have borne their part in the life and affairs of Virginia, and for at least a century and a half have been residents of what is now Campbell county. John Thurman, one of the earlier members of the family, was, as is claimed, the first super-
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intendent of the first Sunday school established on American soil, that being in what is now Campbell county. The mother of Edwin R. Thurman was Martha (Cox) Thurman, born in Campbell county in 1825, and died in 1861. Her father, Abraham Cox, was likewise of an old and substantial Virginia family.
After attending the public schools of his native state, Edwin R. Thurman in 1880 entered Vanderbilt University at Nashville, Ten- nessee, and two years later was graduated from the law department with the degree LL. B., being admitted to the Tennessee bar the same year. Mr. Thurman maintains a sturdy adherence, politically, to the Democratic party in its essential principles, particularly to the old- school doctrines of states' rights and sound money. During the war between the states three of his brothers served on the Confederate side-Powhatan, Alexander and Samuel. Alexander, who is the only one still living, was just sixteen years old at the time he entered the army and was a student at the Virginia Military Institute at Lex- ington. Mr. Thurman married. July 17. 1905. Miss Grace Carswell, a native of Chicago and a daughter of Lockhart R. and Elmira L. (Mann) Carswell.
No lawyer in Chicago has a better record for straightforward and high professional conduct, for success earned with honor and without
JACOB R. animosity, than Jacob R. Custer, of the firm Custer,
Griffin and Cameron. He is a man of scholarly at-
CUSTER. tainments, exact and comprehensive knowledge of the law, and, while an active Republican, has of late years concerned himself chiefly with the pressing and constantly broadening duties of his profession.
Jacob Rambo Custer is of German lineage on the paternal and Swedish on the maternal side. Two families of Custer and Rambo have been long and conspicuously identified with the history of Pennsylvania. It is a noteworthy fact that some of the Custers of that state today own and occupy land which was granted to their ancestors by William Penn, and of which no conveyance has been made by deed to the present time. Members of both families removed to Ohio and there established branches from which came the late General George A. Custer and others of the name. Peter, the pater- nal great-grandfather of Jacob R., was born in Montgomery county. Pennsylvania, and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
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