USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 18
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On the 22d of August, 1906, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Grace Aldrich, who died on the 12th of March, 1910. His fraternal relations are with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the first named he has advanced to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and he is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise be- longs to the Creve Coeur Club and is well known socially in Peoria, where he has an extensive circle of warm friends.
COLONEL FREDERICK H. SMITH.
A republican leader of Illinois, a financier and business man of large and varied interests and factor of equal importance in social circles, Colonel Fred- erick H. Smith belongs to that class of American citizens who are making his- tory. He was born in Buffalo, New York, a son of William Henry Smith, who was for many years general manager of the Lackawanna Railroad Company and a leading figure in railroad circles. Liberal educational privileges were accorded him and following his graduation from De Veaux College at Niagara, New York, he decided to start out independently and test the worth of his own force. He came to Peoria in 1888 and was soon established in business as the general agent of a fast freight line representing eastern railroads. In the fall of 1897 he retired from that business but it was only to take up work of a more extended and important character. He is the vice president of the Dime Savings & Trust Company, vice president of the Merchants National Bank, a director of the Peoria Railway Terminal, a director of the Peoria Gas & Electric Company and a director of the McCoy Wholesale Grocery Company of Peoria. He is also heavily interested in timber lands in the state of Wisconsin and in Washington as well as being a director in a number of large lumber interests in the north. He has done much as a promoter and the practical force of his well formulated plans has brought substantial results of value to the city as well as to himself. Colonel Smith is very widely known in political circles. He became interested in local politics in early manhood and his opinions have carried weight with the repub- lican leaders of this state. In 1897 he was selected a member of the staff of Governor Tanner and was commissioned with the rank of colonel. Governor Yates reappointed him to the position and in that connection he widened his ac- quaintance among the political leaders. In 1900 when the republican state con- vention convened in Peoria he was selected as a delegate from the fourteenth congregational district to the republican national convention of that year and was made a member of the committee on rules and order, in which connection his serv- ice awakened general commendation and satisfaction among the party throughout this state. In 1908 he was named as a presidential elector from Illinois and cast his vote for Theodore Roosevelt. In 1908 his executive ability in politics was recognized by his selection as chairman of the finance committee of the national
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republican central committee, a position which he filled so capably that he re- ceived national prominence in the party councils. Governor Yates in 1901 ap- pointed him commissioner to the Charleston Exposition and he was elected pres- ident of the commission, having charge of the Illinois department during the continuance of the exposition. He was awarded a gold medal for distinguished services by the directors of the exposition.
He has served as chairman of the republican central committee and chairman of the judiciary committee of the fifth district and in both connections has ren- dered excellent service to his party. One of Colonel Smith's marked character- istics is the fact that he sees things to do and does them. He is clear-sighted and far-sighted. He has a firm grasp on the great questions before the people today and possesses a thorough knowledge of the needs of his congressional dis- trict. Colonel Smith has received the nomination for congressman. No man is better fitted to capably and intelligently represent his district. He has never before been a secker for office but has assisted scores of other men to election.
On the 27th of May. 1891, Colonel Smith was married to Miss Sarah Brock- way, of Saginaw, Michigan. It would seem that Colonel Smith's intense activ- ity in business and political lines would leave him little opportunity for other interests and yet he is one of the leaders in the social and especially the club life of Peoria. He was president of the Kickapoo Club, is president of the Country Club, has also been similarly honored two times with the presidency of the Creve Coeur Club and at the ending of the last term was tendered a compli- mentary banquet by three hundred of Peoria's leading business men and the pres- ident of the Illinois Country Club Association. He acted as the first vice president and in 1901 became president of the Peoria Commercial Exposition and Carnival Association. The fine home which he purchased on the bluff has been the scene of many attractive social functions over which Mrs. Smith has presided with gracious hospitality, while Colonel Smith ably plays the part of genial, cor- dial host. Perhaps no better estimate of his character and his ability can be given than in the words of one who, writing for the local press, said: "In the ability to adapt himself to every important situation, social, political, civic and in those affairs involving a state and national interest, Colonel Frederick H. Smith occupies a position all his own. It was conceded to him years ago by the people of Peoria and he has continued to maintain it without a shadow of a question. He has tact, the grace, the faculty of meeting every emergency, the diplomacy that wins over every difficulty, the aggressiveness which knows no defeat and all the manly qualities that count in summing up the constituents of a leading character stich as every community absolutely requires. For many years Colonel Smith has by popular consent occupied this position and is today in line for greater oppor- tunities. Thus far his career has been one of uninterrupted success and the qualities that have made it so are still dominant and insure its continuation." All this is due to the fact that he is a man of highly balanced capabilities and powers, with a strong character that inspires confidence in others.
SHERMAN W. ECKLEY.
The excellent condition of Peoria's streets is due in no small measure to Sherman W. Eckley, who has been the promoter of much of the paving done in this city in the last few years. He brings to his public work the energy and en- terprise of a keen business man combined with the patriotic devotion to duty that has always been one of his characteristics. Moreover, he enjoyed the public confidence and regard as a leading business man of this city for many years. He was here born February 27, 1866, the son of Jacob W. and Barbara ( Weid- ner) Eckley. The father was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1834,
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and his life record spanned the intervening years to the 29th of October, 1899, when he passed to his final rest. His wife was a native of Reading, Pennsyl- vania, and they were married in Philadelphia, removing westward to Peoria in 1855. The father was a carpenter by trade, becoming senior partner of the firm of Eckley & McKinzie, in which connection he was active in the building of most of the houses on the bluff. They erected the Griswold, Cooper and other fine residences, well known in those days, and were prominent factors in building operations. About twenty years prior to his death the father retired, the fruits of his former toil supplying him with all of the necessities and many of the comforts of life. In the family were four children: Oscar, Lillie, Sherman W. and Kate, the elder daughter becoming the wife of Thomas West.
After leaving the high school of Peoria Sherman Eckley became a pupil in Cole's Business College and then turned his attention to the contracting busi- ness, especially in the line of brick work. He devoted fifteen years to that in- dustry and then turned his attention to the jewelry business at No. 1305 South Adams street. He not only thoroughly acquainted himself with that trade but also pursued a complete course in the Horological School of Peoria and has con- tinued in that field of endeavor to the present time.
Aside from winning a place among the successful and resourceful business men of the city Mr. Eckley has become well known in political circles as a re- publican leader. He has always served as a committeeman from his district and has been particularly active in the efforts to better conditions along many lines. His practical knowledge of brick laying was one of the features which secured his appointment to the position of sewer inspector under Mayor Wood- ruff during his first term. . He served in that position during the mayor's first and second terms and during his present or third term received the appoint- ment of commissioner of public works. He is president of the board of local improvements and in that connection has exercised his official prerogative in support of many works of value to the city. Under his guidance the greatest amount of work on the streets within a given period has been done. Under his direction Harrison, Madison and Perry streets and Baker avenue have all been paved with asphalt, covering sixty-four thousand, one hundred and twenty square yards in paving three and three-fifths miles. Repair work to the extent of ten hundred and sixty-three square yards has also been done and sixty-six thousand, two hundred and eighty square yards of brick pavement has been laid in different parts of the city. The creosote block pavement put down under the direction of Mr. Eckley covers fifteen thousand, six hundred and forty-seven square yards, but perhaps the greatest work accomplished under his direction has been the laying of eighteen miles and eleven hundred and twenty feet of six-foot cement sidewalk. The bridges are under his official care and the most rigid in- spection is being put on the new bridge, Mr. Eckley paying a daily visit thereto in order to inspect and pass upon the work and the materials used. In the near future University street will be opened up. The hill is being leveled from a seventy-five-foot embankment and a roadway will be built opening up University street to Mechanicsville over a concrete bridge which for years has stood thirty- five feet in the air. In the summer of 1912 Mr. Eckley expects to build a levee that will be modern in every particular and will cost about fifty thousand dollars. To this he also expects to give his personal supervision, seeing that the city shall receive full value for money expended. He is also considering the wishes of the people concerning paving to be done on East Bluff and is carrying forward the work as rapidly as practicable. In the paving work he has changed all of the old forms of continuous mixers of concrete which must now be so mixed as to produce uniform values and give to the property owners the best for their money. The opening of Jefferson avenue is another of the most important improve- ments that have come before the local board, and Mr. Eckley may be called the father of this proposal. He has been agitating this public measure on various
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occasions in public gatherings as a long-felt want and its realization must be largely credited to his efforts.
Mr. Eckley is pleasantly situated in his home life, having in 1911 wedded Mrs. Margaret Reitz, of Peoria. lle has a very wide acquaintance in this city where his entire life has been passed and where his sterling personal worth has gained him a large circle of warm friends. No better testimonial of his efficient public service could be given than the fact that the mayor has, during the three years of his term, called him to public office, placing him in positions of trust and responsibility.
JAMES A. CAMERON.
James A. Cameron is the senior member of the law firm of Cameron & Cameron, his associate being his son, Glen J. Cameron. The father is one of the older and most honored members of the Peoria bar, where he has practiced since the 8th of September, 1873. He was that year admitted to the state bar and in August arrived in this city. He needs no introduction to the readers of this volume, because his professional labors and his devotion to high standards of citizenship have made him well known here. He was born on a farm in Fulton county, Illinois, October 16, 1845, and is a son of John and Isabella (Tulloch ) Cameron, both of whom were natives of Scotland. They became pioneer settlers of this state, establishing their home in Fulton county in 1834, just two years after the Black Hawk war had put a termination to Indian supremacy in Illinois. Fron- tier conditions were everywhere prevalent and the family shared in the hard- ships and privations of pioneer life in an attempt to establish a home in a new and undeveloped region. In 1847, when James A. Cameron was two years of age, his parents removed to a farm about ten miles west of Peoria, settling in Limestone township. The mother died during the infancy of her son and the father was afterward married in Peoria county, to Isabella Cameron, who, though of the same name, was not a relative.
James A. Cameron was reared on the old homestead in this county and the experiences of farm life early became familiar to him, as he assisted in the work of field and meadow. He attended the country schools and afterward had the benefit of instruction in Monmouth College, thus laying a good foundation for his legal knowledge in his broad literary course. He read law at Ottawa, Illinois, under the direction of Alexander T. Cameron, a cousin and also in Peoria with J. K. Cooper as his preceptor. As previously stated, he was admitted to the bar in September, 1873, and has been in continuous practice in this city ever since. He continues in the general practice of law, is strong in argument and logical in his deductions, while in the application of a legal principle he is sel- dom if ever at fault.
On the Ist of January, 1873, in Peoria, Mr. Cameron was united in mar- riage to Miss Amelia Trial, of this county, her father being William D. Trial, a very early settler of Hollis township, who arrived here in the '20s. The only child of this marriage is Glen J., who attended the public schools and entered Valparaiso College, of Indiana. He afterward studied in the Law University at Champaign, Illinois, and was admitted to the bar in 1906. He then re- turned home to enter into partnership with his father and the law firm of Came- ron & Cameron ranks among the foremost representatives of the profession in Peoria. Their work has been marked by unfaltering devotion to the interests of their clients and yet they have never forgotten that they owe a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law. James A. Cameron is a member of the Beta Theta Phi, a college fraternity. His interests are broad because his read- ing has been wide and because his recognition of the responsibilities and oppor-
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tunities of life is a correct one. He never fails to cooperate in public measures where the welfare of the city is involved or where the interests of the individual citizen might be advanced. He commands the respect of all who know him and is best liked where he is best known.
HON. BERNARD CREMER.
Prominent among the citizens who have contributed to the upbuilding and prosperity of Peoria is Bernard Cremer, who came with his parents to America from Germany in 1854, settling first in Wisconsin. Ten years later Peoria en- rolled him as one of her citizens and, associated with four of his brothers, he took charge of the Peoria Demokrat, of which he has since been editor and busi- ness manager. The paper had then been in existence for four years, having been established by Alvis Zotz in 1860. That it is a leading German paper of central Illinois has become a recognized fact. It has been made both the mirror and the molder of public opinion. Typographically correct from the modern standpoint of progressiveness, its influence is what has made it a great journal, its editorial discussions of vital questions, and its principles constituting a dynamic force in shaping public thought and action among the German-American res- idents of this part of the state.
In business circles, too, Mr. Cremer is equally well and widely known and has contributed in substantial measures to the financial development of the city as one of the organizers of the German Bank, which has since developed into the German-American National Bank, of which he was president for twelve years. He became one of the directors of the Merchants National Bank and in 1886 greatly assisted that institution in tiding over a serious crisis in its affairs, growing out of the depletion of its capital through embezzlement by a trusted employe. He was the organizer of the German Fire Insurance Company of. Peoria in 1876 and since 1883 has been its president. This company paid over a half million dollars for fire losses in the San Francisco disaster. Mr. Cremer was one of the orig- inators of the company which built the Grand Opera House and in other fields his labors have been equally effective and far reaching in results.
As a political leader Mr. Cremer has long been widely known and his party made him its nominee in 1878 for the legislature. Following the election he took his seat as a member of the twenty-second general assembly and was ap- pointed to some of the most important committees of the house. Mr. Cremer is interested in philanthropic, church and hospital work and is an adherent of the Catholic church. He serves as secretary of the library board and is the only living member of the original board. As journalist, as financier and as citizen Bernard Cremer has made a record which might well be emulated by others who in so doing would produce a higher standard of manhood and of citizenship.
ISAAC W. DONMEYER.
Whether standing in life's sunshine or its shadows, whether meeting ad- versity or prosperity, Isaac W. Donmeyer faced every condition as a man. Strong and noble were his purposes and lofty his principles and yet he never took to himself especial credit for what he had accomplished. He lived his life day after day content to do the duties that devolved upon him to the best of his ability and as the years passed the simple weight of his character and ability carried him into important public relations. For fifty-six years he figured
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC . LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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actively in connection with the milling business, spending much of this time in Peoria, where as one of the members of the firm of Dommever, Gardner & Company he developed the extensive interests of the Vienna mills.
A native of Pennsylvania, Isaac W. Donmeyer was born in Lebanon county, April 22, 1838, and came of German ancestry. His parents were Michael and Barbara (Wolf) Donmeyer. The family was established in America in colonial days and the great-grandfather was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The father was a scholarly man, who devoted his life to the profession of teaching and gave his children the best educational opportunities possible although finan- cial conditions made it imperative that they start out in the business world at an early age. Isaac W. Donmeyer was a lad of only ten years when he took up the task of self-support. He filled such positions as he could secure and about the time he attained his majority sought the opportunities of the growing middle west, believing that his chances for advancement were better there than in the older and more thickly settled states of the east. He had first been employed at the age of ten years as a boy on the towpath of the Schuylkill canal and at sixteen years of age had worked his way upward to bowman. The following year he entered upon an apprenticeship to the miller's trade and thoroughly acquainted himself with the business, which was the source of his prosperity throughout his after life. Removing westward to Indiana, he rented a small flouring mill and in its operation secured good financial returns. Subsequently he removed to Quincy, Michigan, where he continued in the milling business, and later he became a resident of Woodbine, Iowa, where he owned and operated a mill that was afterward destroyed by fire, causing him considerable loss. He then returned to Quincy, Michigan, and later went to Terre Haute, Indiana, where he formed a partnership with Willard Kidder, with whom he operated a mill for three years. In June, 1879, he became a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, and established the Broadway mills, of which he was proprietor until the fall of 1882.
That date witnessed the arrival of Mr. Donmever in Peoria, for he had here purchased the Vienna mills from George Cox. In the following year he was joined in business by R. G. Gardner and Washington Gates under the firm name of Donmeyer, Gardner & Gates and thus continued for ten years, when Mr. Gardner purchased the interest of Mr. Gates, after which the business was con- ducted under the firm style of Donmeyer, Gardner & Company. One of the local papers said of Mr. Donmeyer at the time of his death: "He was one of the best equipped men for the milling business in this state. He was a practical miller, a sagacious business man and familiar with every detail of the milling processes from the growing of the grain to the delivery of flour to the consumer. As one of the proprietors of an extensive industry and a member of the Board of Trade for twenty-eight years he was a moving force in the commercial life of Peoria and his unswerving integrity and conscientious business methods commanded the esteem and confidence of all with whom he was brought in contact and assisted materially in the progress of the city. In his passing, the city of Peoria as well as those who are associated with him in business and social and fraternal organizations have sustained a heavy loss."
During the first period of his residence in Quincy, Michigan, Mr. Donmeyer was united in marriage on the 7th of August, 1865, to Miss Ellen M. Clizbe. who still survives him, together with two sisters, Mrs. Angeline Rohland, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and Mrs. Katherine Gingrich, of Reading, Pennsylvania. Mr. Donmeyer was a prominent Mason, being identified with the craft for forty- three years. He held membership in Illinois Lodge, No. 263, F. & A. M .; at- tained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Peoria Consistory; and was also a Knight Templar of Peoria Commandery and a noble of Mohammed Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise held membership in Electa Chapter, O. E. S., to which Mrs. Donmeyer still belongs. Since the death of her husband
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Mrs. Donmeyer has made arrangements whereby she will make a bequest of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars for the erection of a memorial to his memory. This sum is to be given to the local chapters of the Eastern Star for a permanent home, the only request accompanying the gift being that the ashes of her husband, herself and their one child, a daughter, may always be kept in that shrine as long as the building shall stand. In their travels Mr. and Mrs. Donmeyer had been most cordially received and entertained by members of the Masonic fraternity in various cities.
In his life Mr. Donmeyer exemplified the beneficent spirit of the craft, which recognizes the brotherhood of mankind and the fatherhood of God. His politi- cal indorsement was given to the republican party upon questions of national importance but at local elections he cast an independent ballot. He belonged to the Peoria Board of Trade and was active in support of many measures and movements instituted for the welfare and upbuilding of the city. In his youth he was confirmed in the German Lutheran church but later he and his wife be- came members of the First Presbyterian church of Peoria and for eighteen years he served as one of its trustees and during his last two terms was president of the board. He contributed generously to the support of the church and did everything in his power to advance its upbuilding and extend its influence. All who knew him admired his rugged honesty and his upright character. He was generous to a fault and many have reason to bless him for his timely assistance in an hour of need. He proved himself, indeed, a friend to the poor and needy and it was well known that he never turned one from his door empty handed if he was worthy of aid. Mr. Donmeyer was firm in his determination and con- victions and strict and exacting in his business dealings. He was never known to take advantage of another in any trade transaction and he required the same strict honesty from others. To his employes he was not only just but kind and considerate and they had for him the greatest admiration and respect. Of him it may be said that he was a lover of truth, a doer of deeds and a devotee of manly principles. He passed away on the 10th of February, 1911, and press and people united in speaking of him in terms of praise and honor. His friends were many and the high regard tendered him was the expression of an appre- ciation of the upright, honorable life he had lived and his sterling principles of manhood and of character.
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