USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > The biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of representative men of Chicago, Minnesota cities and the World's Columbian exposition : with illustrations on steel. V. 1 > Part 5
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 (link on the Part 1 page).
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
As First Vice-President of the "World's Co- lumbian Exposition," unanimously elected to that office, he is the right man in the right place, and with him in this position, there need be no fear for the success of such a fair as the world has never yet seen ; and if it be successful, as it un- doubtedly will be, to Thomas B. Bryan must be given the greater credit, for in him Chicago has a citizen who is, and always has been, devoted to her welfare, and no man has worked more assidu- ously for her good, or with greater results, than has the subject of our sketch.
JOHN P. BARRETT,
CHICAGO, ILL.
J OHN P. BARRETT, superintendent of the Fire Alarm Telegraph of Chicago, is a native of Auburn, New York. While he was yet a child, his parents removed to Chicago, where John received a good common school education, and "ran " with "Niagara " No. 3. In 1858, he went to sea, and while off the coast of South
America, in the Pacific ocean, fell from the mast- head and broke his arm and leg. In August, 1862, he returned to Chicago, and was appointed a member of the Fire Department, serving as watchman for " No. 8" and "No. 3." In 1864. he was given charge of the City Hall bell and held that position one year.
BIOGRAPHIICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
In 1865, Chicago adopted the Fire Alarm Tele- graph system. Under the charge of E. B. Chandler, superintendent, Mr. Barrett became an efficient operator, and upon the retirement of Mr. Chandler in May, 1876, he was promoted to the position of superintendent and has continued to hold it until the present time (1892).
Mr. Barrett has not rested satisfied with hav- ing acquired a well-deserved reputation as an executive officer, but since he has been at the head of this department has accomplished many important reforms and become quite an in- ventor. With his instrument called the " joker," the alarm is received at each engine house the same instant it is turned in at any box, thereby obviating the necessity of waiting for
an alarm to strike on the gong from the general office.
Mr. Barrett was the originator of the Police Patrol Service, now being generally introduced throughout the United States, and also originated the plan of placing all wires under ground, there- by removing unsightly poles from the streets; of operating city plants for lighting the streets by electricity, and of the bridge telephone service for controlling navigation in the river and harbor. Mr. Barrett is also Chief of the Electrical Depart- ment of the World's Columbian Exposition.
Mr. Barrett was married April 20, 1868, and has had eleven children, eight of whom are living. He is a life member of the Paid Fire Department Benevolent Association.
DAVID BRAINARD DEWEY,
CHICAGO, ILL.
A MONG those who have achieved positions of eminence by reason of their unswerving integrity and remarkable financial and executive ability, none are more worthy of prominent men- tion than the subject of this sketch. Like many of his cotemporaries among the successful men of the present day, Mr. Dewey traces his ancestry to the early Puritan settlers of Massachusetts. His ancestor, Thomas Dewey, settled in Dorchester in 1630, and in that vicinity the Dewey family resided for many years, the subject of this sketch being born in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massa- chusetts, on May 28, 1839. His father, Mark Dewey, was a merchant of prominence, noted for his high Christian character and intrepid honesty. His mother, Sarah M. Dewey, née Grinnell, came from a family well and favorably known, and was a woman of decided character and ability.
Young Dewey obtained his elementary education in the common school and academy of his native town. At the age of fifteen he came West to mect and assume the responsibilities of his future career among strangers. His first employment was upon a Western farm. From his seventeenth to his twenty-first year, he taught school winters, thereby enabling himself to take a summer course in col- lege. The difficulties by which he was beset in his early struggles to obtain a livelihood and cdu-
cation developed in him the strong characteristics that are aptly termed " Western," and which are identified with the possession of nerve, activity and exhaustless energy. Law was his chosen pro- fession, but after a severe hemorrhage caused by addressing a large assemblage of people for a Fourth of July celebration, in the open air, his physicians decided that his lungs would not per- mit him to follow what then seemed to be the natural bent of his mind. Ile was a remarkably eloquent and forcible speaker, -full of zcal and energy, able to hold his own in any argument, and it is the unanimous opinion of those who knew him well that when he abandoned the law the legal profession was deprived of a member who would have become one of its brightest lights. At the age of seventeen he entered Wheaton College, but did not remain to finish the course. The commencement of the War of the Rebellion found him one of the very first to respond to Lincoln's call for troops, and, upon his enlistment, he was made a sergeant of Company A, Second Regiment of Illinois Cavalry. In this capacity he served his country, until at the end of about a year a severe wound compelled his retirement and prevented his again entering the service, when the commission of major was tendered him. Not only was he prompt in enlisting himself, but his
43
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
eloquent speeches and patriotic fervor inspired others to rally for the country's defense.
In politics he has always been a Republican, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln.
In 1862 he was married to Miss Nettie A. Springer, of Rockford, Illinois, a lady of excellent family and delightful home and social qualities. They have had five children, of whom two are living-Nettie D., now Mrs. H. S. Farwell, and David B., Jr., a lad of three and a half years of age.
After pursuing various occupations, in all of which he was successful, in 1871 he transferred his business interests to Chicago, entering the mortgage loan business, and established his home at Evanston, where he has bought and sold large quantities of real estate, making valuable improve- ments which have greatly added to the beauty of that charming suburb. Among these improve- ments is included the home where he now resides on Maple avenue. His home has ever been a delightful resort for the many friends of the family, and its doors have always been hospitably open. Mr. Dewey has always been a public-spirited, aggressive citizen, actively identified with the progress of the times, serving efficiently in the various offices of the Council, Board of Educa- tion and Church Trustees, ever unselfishly devoting himself to others' interests. In 1876 he associated with himself Hon. John L. Beveridge, ex-Governor of Illinois, and opened the private banking house of Beveridge & Dewey, which continued its suc- cessful career until 1886, when he organized the American Exchange National Bank. His busi- ness career since that time has been identified with the history of that institution, and a sketch of his life would not be complete without some reference to the history of the bank. Upon its organization, Mr. Dewey was elected vice-presi- dent and acknowledged financial manager. The bank opened its doors for business May 10, 1886, and at once secured a large and profitable business. His reputation was already so well established among financial men that applications came in for nearly four times the amount of stock represented by the capital of the bank. During the early days of the bank's career, an event occurred which called into play all those cautious and conserva- tive traits which enabled him to so manage its affairs in the gravest crisis of its history that it is
to-day the acknowledged peer of any financial institution in the city. The story of the bank, briefly told, is that on June 9, 1887, during the progress of the famous Harper wheat corner, Mr. Dewey was suddenly prostrated and confined to his bed by a severe illness. On the 15th, while still confined to his home, his associate officers cashed the celebrated Fidelity National Bank fraudulent drafts to the amount of $400,000, which, with other complications, nearly cost the bank its life. Mr. Dewey proved his remarkable nerve and devotion to his friends and associates by returning to the bank on June 20, against the direct orders of his physicians and with great danger of fatal results to himself. This prompt action of his, however, undoubtedly saved the institution from utter wreck. So great was the confidence in him that upon his return the with- drawal of deposits ceased and money was freely offered from many sources. Those who knew the man believed that he would find a way to save the bank from ruin, and they were not disap- pointed.
The failure of C. J. Kershaw & Co., who kept an account with the American Exchange National Bank, involved it in extensive and complicated litigation, which, with other almost insurmount- able obstacles, would have discouraged any man of ordinary pluck and ability. It is a well-recog- nized fact that to Mr. Dewey was wholly due the conception and execution of the plan which lifted the bank from the wreck and disaster in which it was plunged and placed it among the solid finan- cial institutions of Chicago. Upon his retirement from the bank the press of Chicago and financial publications in New York, Boston and London gave him very flattering notices. Mr. Dewey's proposition to make an assessment of thirty per cent. upon the stock was promptly responded to, and then the battle for restoration was vigorously prosecuted, and, to those most familiar with the facts of that history, his success stands a marvel- ous achievement. Another notable incident con- nected with the struggle of the bank at this time was the famous suit against the Fidelity National Bank of Cincinnati, which was finally carried through the various courts to the Supreme Court of the United States, and a victory won by the American Exchange National Bank which was of the most profound interest to bankers and busi-
44.
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
ness men generally. The bank showed its ability to recuperate from its losses and exhaustive legal expenses by earning and paying ever since that almost fatal panic a continuous yearly dividend of six per cent., in addition to which it has placed to the credit of its surplus funds and undivided profits over $250,000. These results speak vol- umes for the sagacious management of the bank, and forcibly endorse the wisdom of its stock- holders in placing Mr. Dewey in full charge as president, which was done immediately after the commencement of the troubles which followed the cashing of the Fidelity drafts. The heavy duties and intense anxiety connected with the reorganization and recuperation of the bank depleted Mr. Dewey's health, and made a tempo- rary retirement from close confinement to busi- ness a necessity. After the bank was fully relieved of all complications growing out of its misfortunes in 1887, Mr. Dewey frequently expressed a desire to be relieved from the active duties and respon- sibilities of the presidency, and finally decided to retire, which he did on August 1, 1891, and in this connection it is proper to give the follow- ing resolutions which were unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors of the American Ex change National Bank at a meeting held in July, 1891 :
WHEREAS, David B. Dewey, President of the American Exchange National Bank, has from time to time, and es- pecially during the last year, intimated his desire to be relieved from the exacting burdens and cares of his office, and mainly for reasons connected with his bodily health; and
WHEREAS, It has come to the knowledge of the Board of Directors that this desire has been intensified by the assur- ance of his physician that the day was not far off when, if not voluntarily, he would be compelled to desist from these labors ; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That in our association with Mr. Dewey during the last five years he has become greatly endeared to us as a friend ; his companionship has been a pleasure and delight ; we have learned to confide in his judgment as a clear-minded and conscientious business man. Times of trial and days of adversity have strengthened our faith in his unswerving in- tegrity and thorough loyalty to all the interests of this bank. The days have not always been bright, nor the skies without their clouds, but in the experiences that brought so much of anxiety and apprehension, the bonds of personal friendship and mutual confidence have grown all the stronger. We de- sire to assure him that whenever it shall seem to him best to retire from the executive chair of this bank he will take with him our warmest regard and a confidence in his executive ability and personal integrity that has become all the stronger
by reason of the obstacles overcome and impediments sur- mounted, all of which gives assurance of stability and a per- manent growth as to the future of the bank.
The Board of Directors are not unmindful of the extraor- dinary services of Mr. Dewey that were crowned with the most important results in the matter of the troubles of four years ago, and it is only an act of simple justice that we record our grateful remembrance of his personal sacrifice and service through those times of perplexity and difficulty, and to hope that whatever may be his relation to us he will at least consent to remain on the Board of Directors.
Mr. Dewey has been for many years a promi- nent Mason, and on November 17, 1890, there was held at the Evanston, Illinois, Masonic Temple a memorial service in commemoration of the services of Sir Knight Dewey in securing a charter for the Evanston Commandery. There was placed in the walls of the Asylum a marble memorial tablet bearing the name of Dewey, and in the library a fine crayon portrait. The feelings of his Masonic brethren can best be evidenced by quoting direct from the pages of the memorial book published giving an account of the proceedings. In the dedication of the volume, Hon. Charles G. Neely said: " In recognition of one who so pre-emi- nently labored to secure our Masonic home, where we may meet in mystic association the friends and companions of our youth, and in honor of him who does in his life so highly exem- plify the noble principles of character building and friendship therein made, there has been placed in the walls of the Asylum a marble memorial tablet bearing the name 'Dewey,' and in our hearts most truly indeed are his work and worth remembered."
Eminent Sir Charles G. Haskin said : " We have, therefore, Sir Knight Dewey, as a tribute of our respect and admiration for those knightly qualities, placed in the walls of our Asylum a memorial Maltese cross bearing your name, and in our par- lors your portrait, not only to show our esteem and brotherly love for yourself, but to perpetuate the memory of those qualities of heart and mind the exercise of which has so much been a pleasure to you and at the same time the means of pro- viding for the fraters of Evanston a home."
Past Eminent Sir Robert Hill : " My first intro- duction to Sir Knight Dewey was upon the first organization of this Commandery, or rather before its organization, and the impression I gained of him then was that he was a manly man and a
45
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
knightly man. That impression has remained with me ever since."
Sir H. H. C. Miller : "In all his planning and doing, he was absolutely unselfish. To his indom- itable energy, persistent effort, successful planning, large personal influence and eloquent words on the floor of the Grand Commandery on that memo- rable day in October, 1885, when the fight was finally won, we are chiefly indebted for the exist- ence of Evanston Commandery."
Sir C. H. Remy : " A man, Sir Knights, ener- getic, persevering, faithful, loyal, true, bravely meeting discouragements, overcoming all obstacles, with the windows of his life shut against despair, never faltering, never failing, always brave, gallant and chivalrous, and winning a success that in every sense symbolizes the great virtues of true knight- hood."
Sir E. S. Weeden : "We erect here a memorial stone to the most noble of virtues-tireless self- sacrifice for the good of others. And we write upon it the name 'Dewey.' We meet to-night to
honor one who has been foremost in founding this . many years I have known Sir Knight Dewey, and noble order in our peerless village home. We in which there have grown up between us friendly honor him because he has most faithfully exem- plified the principles of our order. His labors in securing our charter were tireless, his self-sacrifice boundless, his faith limitless, and his final triumph over seeming impossibilities most signal and com- plete."
Sir Frank P. Crandon : " Brother Dewey, I con- gratulate you upon the respect and well-founded esteem and the constant veneration of your brother Sir Knights. May you always realize, as I believe you now realize, that your place in their hearts is established and that your fame in their hands is secure."
Sir Volney W. Foster: "I am especially glad to make a memory for this man."
Sir George S. Baker: "It is fitting that we should in some manner signalize and commemo- rate the knightly services of our frater, Sir Knight Dewey. Let us especially rejoice that we dedi- cate here no memorial of departed worth, but that the same patience and perseverance, the same faith and magnanimous valor are still with us, ready to take up the sword, if need be, or plead our cause in fitting words."
Sir L. W. Conkey : "How beautiful, simple and striking is this tablet we see on the walls of
this dear templar home of ours! 'Dewey.' What does this mean? To us who know this Sir Knight, this Christian gentleman, who loves everything that is good and true, it means much."
Sir M. B. Iott : "Through the untiring efforts and unwearied zeal of this beloved Sir Knight, Evanston is in possession of a commandery. This is but one of his many laudable deeds, and to know is but to love him."
Sir James H. Raymond : "I have the most unbounded confidence and the warmest admiration in and for his integrity and his absolute devotion of mind, body and estate to all persons and plans in which he has confidence."
Sir W. S. Mellen: "If ever knight possessed knightly virtues to make him the peer of any king, Sir Knight Dewey is the man. With a heart as tender as a woman's, with a hand always open to aid those in trouble or distress, and with a soul brave and true to every conviction of right, any man can be proud of his friendship, and those who are so blessed can rejoice in his love. In the
ties of more than ordinary strength, I have learned to judge him as a man far above the ordinary. Positive in his convictions, tender in his loves, loyal in his friendships, a knight beyond reproach. Would there were more such men in the world ! If there were such men in the world to hold the balance of power, corruption would die from lack of sustenance, the jail doors rot off their hinges, and wrong in high places be unknown."
Sylvester F. Jones, D. D .: "In honoring him you honor yourselves. If the establishment of your commandery in Evanston was a work of difficulty, requiring energy, patience and persist- ence, combined with moral courage, he was just the man for the work. I have found in him these qualities in a very marked-in fact, exceptionally marked-degree ; qualities which may be summed up in one word, a word lustrous in earth and Heaven-fidelity."
Rev. N. D. Hillis: "Happy is he who gathers as he goes such symmetry and shapeliness, such temper and quality, and measures out such sym- pathy and justice as evoke from comrades and neighbors such tributes of praise."
The above quotations from eminent Sir Knights show this man's character, and are an endorsement
46
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
beyond question. In all the relations of life, whether of a business or social nature, his charac- ter has been beyond reproach, and his integrity has never been questioned. His loyalty to every interest committed to his care has led him to assume burdens from which men would shrink.
Charitable at all times and to all people, he is rec- ognized as the firm friend and gallant defender of the poor, towards whose needs he has ever gen- crously contributed in time and money. It is a life notably worthy of emulation by all who would have it truthfully said of them, " Well done "
HON. VAN HOLLIS HIGGINS,
CHICAGO, ILL.
A MONG the successful and distinguished men of Chicago, none deserves a more honorable mention than he whose name heads this biogra- phy. A native of Genesee county, New York, he was born February 20, 1821, the son of David and Eunice (Sackett) Higgins. His father was a native of East Haddam, Conn., and a farmer by occupation ; he settled in Cayuga county, New York, in 1814; later removed to Genesee county, but afterwards returned to Cayuga county and died there in 1827. His mother, a native of Ver- mont, died in 1847. She was a daughter of Will- iam Sackett and sister of the Hon. William A. Sackett, now a resident of Saratoga, and formerly member of Congress from Seneca county, New York. David and Eunice Higgins had eight sons, of whom our subject was the fifth.
He received his primary education in the public schools of Auburn- and Seneca Falls, New York, and at the early age of twelve years en- gaged in business at the last named place, as a clerk in the store of his eldest brother. Four years later, in 1837, prompted by an am- bition for a field of action where his powers might have full and free scope, he removed to Chicago, where his brother, A. D. Higgins, had established himself in 1835 as proprietor of a general store, and with whom he associated him- self as an assistant. Chicago then had less than five thousand inhabitants. After leaving school he persisted in keeping up his studies, devoting all his spare time to that end, and during the win- ter of 1837-8 taught a district school in Vermilion county, Illinois, with much success.
Prior to this time his brother had become publisher of the Missouri Argus, a daily paper of St. Louis, Mo., then a prosperous city of some fifteen thousand inhabitants, and in the
spring of 1839 our subject went thither and spent a year in reportorial work. He after- wards engaged in mercantile business at St. Louis on his own account, and although the venture proved a financial success, he was not satisfied, and yielding to a long cherished desire to enter the legal profession, voluntarily sold out his business and turned his attention to the study of law. In the spring of 1842, being then twenty. one years of age, he went to Iroquois county, Illinois, and there continued his legal studies, and a few months later was duly admitted to the bar. He practiced one year at Middleport, and in 1845 removed to Galena, Illinois, where, in the follow- ing year, he associated himself with O. C. Pratt, Esq., afterwards a judge of the Supreme Court of Oregon, and later judge of one of the District Courts at San Francisco, Cal. This partnership continued till 1849. Mr. Higgins continued the practice of law at Galena with constantly increas- ing success and popularity till 1852, and during his residence there was for two years City Attor- ney. Returning to Chicago, which had grown to be a city of thirty thousand inhabitants, he soon afterwards formed a partnership with Messrs. Corydon Beckwith and B. F. Strother, under the firm name of Higgins, Beckwith and Strother. The firm prospered from the start and soon came to be one of the most prominent in Chicago.
Mr. Higgins had never sought the honors or emoluments of office, although from the beginning of his career as a lawyer he had taken an active interest in political matters. With the more intel- ligent class of his fellow-citizens, by whom he was naturally looked to as a leader, he was opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the extension of slavery, and upon the formation of the Republican party in 1856, he became identi-
The Century Publishing & Engraving Co Chicago
Vant Higgins
49
BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
fied with it, and two years later was elected to the General Assembly of Illinois on the Republican ticket. In the legislature he held a commanding position, and became known as a high-minded, patriotic and impartial legislator, and at the close of his term he was elected judge of the Superior Court of Chicago by an overwhelming majority.
During the period of the civil war, Judge Higgins was conspicuous for his zeal in the cause of the Union. He was a warm personal friend and staunch supporter of President Lincoln, and in word and deed lent himself to the support of the measures inaugurated by those who were in accord with the President in his work of saving the Union. He early saw the necessity of organi- zation among Union men, and was largely instru- mental in forming the Union Defense Committee of Chicago, which may justly be classed with the Union League and other leading organizations that rendered such efficient service and contributed so largely to the success of the Union cause. Judge Higgins was prominent as a member of the exec- utive committee of this organization, and by his counsels and work rendered services in raising and equipping recruits, furnishing supplies and cloth- ing, helping the sick and wounded and comforting the bereaved, that gained for him a high place in the esteem of his fellow-citizens, as a patriot and philanthropist.
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.