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 6
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In the fall of 1865, Judge Higgins resigned from the bench, and forming a partnership with the Hon. Leonard Swett and Col. David Quigg, under the firm name of Higgins, Swett and Quigg, resumed the practice of law. This relation- ship continued until 1872, when he withdrew from the firm to accept the presidency of the Babcock Manufacturing Company. Four years later, on January Ist, 1876, he withdrew from active parti- cipation in the affairs of this company, and took charge of the financial department of the Charter Oak Life Insurance Co. for the Western States. Judge Higgins, as proprietor of Rose Hill Ceme- tery Co., has been at the head of that organization since 1872, and since 1880 has been president of the National Life Insurance Company of the United States, the only life insurance company in existence chartered by Congress. He is also president of the Fidelity Safe Deposit Company of Chicago; is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, of the American Bar Association and
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and was one of the charter members of the Chicago Historical Society. He is a man of genial, sunny nature and social qualities of a high order, and finds time to indulge his social tastes, being a member of the Kenwood Club, the Wash- ington Park Club, the Union League Club, and president of the Hyde Park Suburban Club. Throughout his busy life, Judge Higgins has been an enthusiastic lover of mechanical arts and has devoted much time to mechanical pursuits, and in gratifying his tastes in this direction has invented and patented a number of important mechanical appliances. In forming an estimate of the char- acter of Judge Higgins, one cannot but be im- pressed with his varied talents and qualities. The late Emery A. Storrs speaking of him, said, "He is a man of great public spirit, and is in feeling and character a typical Western man. From the beginning, Judge Higgins has seen with a vision clearer than most men, not only the probabilities but also the possibilities of the West ; and what a quarter of a century and more ago he so clearly saw, and what he so confidently prophesied, he has diligently worked to realize." Throughout his life he has been a diligent student, and, especially in the line of his profession, has given to his intel- lectual tastes the fullest scope. Endowed by nature with a legal and judicial mind, he engaged in his professional work with a zeal and love that could not but lead to the highest attainments and win for him an honorable name. He was especially noted for his pains-taking in the prepa- ration of his cases, and by reason of his thorough knowledge of the law, performed his professional work with an ease and naturalness that marked him as a master and leader. Possessed of a pro- digious memory, he was enabled to recall de- cisions and precedents at will, so that on the bench he was able to dispatch the business of his court with rapidity; and so thorough was his comprehension of legal principles, and such his conscientious regard for the duties of his high office, that he made few mistakes of judgment and his decisions were rarely reversed. As a judge he dealt with law not merely in the abstract, but applied its principles with discretion and justice, in which he was greatly aided by his thorough acquaintance with business and business methods. In judicial manner he was a model ;
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courteous and affable, patient and attentive to all, he knew no favorites ; and no lawyer practicing in his court ever had just cause to complain of unfair treatment. A point presented, though new and seemingly opposed to the current authority, received his careful attention and if reason justi- fied, was fearlessly sustained. Always deeply interested in young men, his position on the bench afforded him many opportunities of aiding and encouraging the younger members of the bar who appeared before him. Comparatively few of those who practiced before him are still members of the Chicago bar ; but wherever they are, his profound learning, patient forbearance, uniform courtesy and genial yet dignified manner, will ever be held in honor and grateful remembrance.
In personal appearance Judge Higgins is tall and well proportioned and has a commanding and dignified bearing, with features marked by firm- ness and decision of character, yet softened by culture and amiability of manner. His life has been one of constant activity ; and in whatever
position placed he has shown himself master of it, achieving both distinction and success. Public- spirited, large-hearted and high-minded, his public acts and private life alike have contributed to the welfare of his fellows, and it is but fitting and just to say that he holds a first place among the honored men who have made it possible for their adopted city to attain to the high position she now holds among the leading cities of our land ; while among his personal friends and acquaint- ances, he is loved and revered for his kindly, noble deeds and manly qualities of mind and heart. Although his life has been so full of activity, yet he has always cherished a love for home and no- where finds greater enjoyment than when gathered with his family, or entertaining his friends around his own fire-side and hospitable board.
Judge Higgins has been twice married ; first in 1847 to Mrs. E. S. Alexander, of Jacksonville, Illinois, who died in 1882. In 1883, he was mar- ried to Miss Lena Isabel Morse, a daughter of Mr. A. C. Morse, of San Francisco, California.
JOHN CRERAR,
CHICAGO, ILL.
B Y the death of an upright and honorable citi- zen, the community sustains an irreparable loss, and is deprived of the presence of one whom it had come to look upon as a guardian, benefactor and friend. Death often removes from our midst those whom we can ill afford to spare ; whose place it is difficult to fill ; whose lives and actions have been all that is exemplary of the true and thereby really great citizen, and whose whole carcer, both business and social, serves as a model to the young and as a rejuvenation, as it were, to the aged. Such a career sheds a brightness and a lustre around everything with which it comes in contact. It creates by its usefulness and general benevolence a memory whose perpetuation does not depend upon brick or stone, but upon the spontaneous and free-will offering of a grateful and enlightened people.
By the death of John Crerar, October 19, 1889, the city of Chicago lost one of its most respected and prominent citizens. Born in New York City in 1827, his parents were Scotch, and he in-
herited from them the sterling characteristics of that vigorous race. Educated in the schools of that city, he at length engaged in business there and became a member of the firm of Jesup, Kennedy and Co. He was prominent there both in business and social affairs, and possessing a large circle of friends, he kept up his acquaintance with many of them until the day of his death.
In 1862, Mr. Crerar located in Chicago, in which city he resided ever after. He was the senior of the well-known firm of Crerar, Adams and Co., and one of the incorporators of the Pullman Palace Car Co., of which he was a director. He was also a director of the Chicago and Alton Railroad Co .; the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank; the Chicago Relief and Aid Society; the Presbyterian Hospital; vice-president of the Chicago Orphan Asylum, and president of the Chicago and Joliet Railroad Co. He was also connected with many other organizations and was a member of the Chicago, Calumet and Union Clubs. He was a frequent attendant at
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the meetings of the Commercial and Literary clubs and evinced much interest in their literary exercises.
In speaking of Mr. Crerar's death, Mr. J. Mc- Gregor Adams, who for a quarter of a century had been his partner and intimate friend, said : " I have been a partner and friend of Mr. Crerar for twenty-five years and his loss is a severe blow to me. He was a big-souled, generous man, liberal in all things, and one whose friendship was a thing to be prized and to be proud of. He was a philanthropist of the noblest type, and-did a wonderful amount of good in a quiet way. For twenty-five years he and I have been business partners, and during that long period we never had a quarrel or dispute in any way. That thought will always be sacred in my memory and form one of my most pleasant recollections of him. To his employees he was always the same --- pleasant, genial and approachable. Frank and outspoken, decided in his views, he never hesi- tated to express them, though it was always done in an affable manner. He had a vein of quiet humor that made him a very companionable man. Full of fun and anecdote, he dearly loved a good story. His peculiar manner of throwing back the lapel of his coat when telling a story will always be remembered by his friends."
In.religious faith he was a Presbyterian, and was a member and regular attendant of the Second Presbyterian Church, being one of the trustees, and always exhibited large-hearted liber- ality and generous interest in its welfare. In poli- tics he was a Republican, though he never held office, with one exception. At the last presiden- tial election he was elected as the Presidential Elector from the First District of Illinois.
As a citizen he was modest and retiring, but always ready and prompt to give of his means when calls for help were made on the city. After the great fire of '71, he was a member of the Relief and Aid Society, and gave valuable assist- ance to that noble organization. The contribu- tions from the New York Chamber of Commerce and other donors to the relief fund were entrusted to him.
The number of organizations to which he be- longed attest the respect and esteem in which he was held by his associates. A man of strong personality, refined and simple tastes, he enjoyed
art, literature and music ; of a genial and happy temperament, he was very sympathetic and com- panionable. Possessed of positive convictions, nothing could swerve him from his sense of duty and of right.
By his will-which was probated for upwards of $3,500,000-he left to charitable and benevo- lent institutions princely legacies, amongst them being the Second Presbyterian Church, the Scotch Presbyterian Church of New York, the Chicago Orphan Asylum, the Nursery and Half Orphan Asylum, Chicago Presbyterian Hospital, the Chi- cago Historical Society, the Illinois Training School for Nurses, the Presbyterian League, the Old People's Home, the Home for the Friendless, the Chicago Relief and Aid Society, the St. An- drew's Societies of Chicago and New York, the Chicago Manual and Training School, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Chicago Bible Society, St. Luke's Free Hospital and the Ameri- can Sunday School Union.
For a monument to Abraham Lincoln he gave $100,000, and over $2,000,000 for the founding of a free public library. The bequests were divided thus: About $1,000,000 to religious, historical, literary and benevolent institutions, and to rela- tives and friends about $600,000. It was patriot- ism as much as friendship which prompted him to set apart $100,000 for a colossal statue to Abraham Lincoln. These gifts alone would have endeared perpetually his name to the people of Chicago. But even nobler than these, as indi- cating broader and more enduring influences, is the Free Public Library Fund, that will give to the city one of the most beneficent institutions it is the privilege of any city in the Union to possess. By the terms of this bequest, the books, period- icals, etc., are to be selected with a view to ex- tending a healthy, moral and christian tone throughout the community, and to the exclusion of nastiness and immorality. He requested in his will the following friends to act as the first board of directors of the library, viz .: Norman Williams, Huntington W. Jackson, Marshall Field, E. W. Blatchford, T. B. Blackstone, Robert T. Lincoln, Henry W. Bishop, Albert Keep, Edson Keith, Simon J. McPherson, John M. Clark and George A. Armour. A remarkable will truly! One that was marked by kindness, a loving re- membrance and much generous sentiment. A
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will that shows the considerate spirit of the just man, for he provided for his relatives bountifully, and remembered his friends generously, while his provision for the poor and needy and those of the community standing in need of and worthy of help was munificent and princely in character. Letters testamentary were granted to Norman Williams (at whose residence Mr. Crerar died), and Huntington W. Jackson.
The last ten years of his life he lived at the Grand Pacific Hotel, and was well known for the regularity of his habits, and many are the pleasant stories related of him, all emphasising more strongly, if possible, his many admirable qualities.
His funeral services were held at the Second Presbyterian Church and conducted by the Rev. Drs. Patterson and McPherson. His remains were then taken to New York where similar services were held at the Scotch Presbyterian Church and conducted by Rev. Drs. Hall and Hamilton. Both services were largely attended. In New York city the flag of the Mercantile Library
Association, of which Mr. Crerar was at one time president, was hung at half mast.
His parents and two brothers, the only mem- bers of his family, lie buried in Greenwood Cemc- tery, Brooklyn, and in compliance with Mr. Crerar's request, his remains were placed by the side of his "honored mother." Upon the stone which marks his grave are the words, " A just man and one that feared God." Upon his father's side he left no known relations. Upon his mother's side, her name being Agnes Smeallie, there are a number of cousins, who reside in Schenectady and Delaware counties, N. Y.
By the death of Mr. Crerar the church lost one of its most carnest and sincere supporters, the city an honorable and upright citizen, and his friends a warm-hearted companion. His memory will long be cherished and his name often and kindly spoken of by those who knew him, also by that still larger circle for whom he has done so much, and for whose welfare and happiness he was an untiring worker to the last.
ANDERSON FOWLER, CHICAGO, ILL.
A NDERSON FOWLER, the managing direc- tor of the interests of the celebrated Fowler Bros. (Limited), belongs to that hardy class of American citizens who claim a heritage of Irish- Scotch ancestry. His father, George Fowler, of County Fermanagh, of North Ireland, traced his ancestry to a reverend member of the Fowler family, who was a chaplain in Oliver Cromwell's army, and who came to Ireland with that leader and located in that section of northern Ireland in which our subject was born. The Fowler family were celebrated in England long before this, as one of its members, Charles Fowler, was knighted during the time of the Crusades.
This English yeoman was apprised of the ap- proach of the enemy's array by the tooting of an owl, which noise awakened him from his sleep, and enabled him to give an alarm that saved the army from a disastrous surprise. For this action he was knighted, and he chose an owl as the sym- bol of his coat-of-arms. This explains the reason that an owl is used as the Fowler crest. His
maternal ancestors, Anderson by name, were of the sturdy Scotch race; thus it can be seen that our subject is of the purest Anglo-Saxon extrac- tion.
He was born in County Fermanagh, North Ireland, on June 16, 1843. His school education was obtained in the public schools of his native section. When but twelve years of age, he began his business career by entering his father's busi- ness, which had been established in 1842. This business was in the wholesale provision line, a line he has followed, with slight variations, ever since. In 1858 George Fowler, our subject's father, re- tired from mercantile life, and seven of his sons formed a co-partnership and succeeded to their father's business, organizing under the name of Fowler Brothers, and conducting a general provi- sion business.
Although but a lad of fifteen at this time, Anderson Fowler was made a full partner, and shared the profits equally with his brothers.
The eldest of the sons of George Fowler, James,
Undrar Bowler
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is a canon in the Church of England, and was never interested in the mercantile pursuits of his brothers. Upon the death of his father, his brothers having relinquished all their claims in the property to him, he became possessed of his fath- er's landed estates. This estate is composed of farm lands located in North Ireland, in which George Fowler had invested his fortune when he retired from business in 1858. This property has never been a profitable investment.
In 1862 the Fowler Brothers began operations in the United States, and at that time were the largest dealers in butter in the world. In 1863 they commenced business in Chicago, and since then our subject has divided his time between Liverpool, New York and Chicago. They have branches or agencies in all of the large cities of Europe and America, and the supervision that he has been compelled to give these different foreign agencies has forced him to make no less than seventy-seven trips across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Fowler Brothers have always transacted their business upon sound business principles, and have always believed that a cash basis was the best for all concerned. Therefore, they have never purchased a dollar's worth of stock on credit. They have always been successful, and have ever been esteemed by the mercantile com- munity as good and shrewd business managers, who have invariably conducted their business in the manner that brings the best and most remun- erative returns.
In 1890 the firm decided to dispose of a large share of their business to a company, and listed their stock in the different exchanges throughout Europe and America. Although several Ameri- can houses had previously done a similar thing, that had proved disastrous to the investors, the high esteem in which the Fowler Brothers were held caused the first issue of $3,750,000 of stock to be applied for more than twice over. No more fitting testimonial of the high respect the public have for the business principles and honor of this firm can be cited. The name of the company upon its incorporation became known as the " Fow- ler Bros. Limited," and of this gigantic company, with capital stock of $3,750,000 (with privilege of increasing same to $4,500,000), our subject, Ander- son Fowler, is managing director and the control- ling spirit. All of this capital stock, excepting
$750,000, is held by European investors. One cannot realize the magnitude of the business that this corporation conducts. They have large inter- ests in the different cities of the United States and Europe, but the center of all is in Chicago. They transport their products from the West to the coast in their own refrigerator cars, which they manufacture themselves under patents of which they have the control.
The distributive sales of this company exceed the immense sum of twenty-five millions of dollars annually-an amount so large that it cannot be grasped by the average mind.
Although an Anglo-Saxon by birth, he has been a citizen of this, his adopted country, for nearly a quarter of a century, and takes a deep pride in being a citizen of this Republic. Politi- cally, he belongs to that great, intelligent body of business men that are known as independent.
In 1877 our subject was married to Miss Emily Arthur, daughter of the Rev. William Arthur, an eminent divine, of London, England. The Rev. Mr. Arthur is one of the most prominent clergy- men of Great Britain. He is the author of a num- ber of works of great literary merit, the most widely read and most popular being entitled "The Tongue of Fire." He was deeply interested in the Union cause during the War of the Re- bellion, and advocated both with his pen and his voice many means to assist the Northern cause. He used his powerful influence to introduce the American envoys in such manner as to enable them to settle the "Trent " affair, that caused so much disquietude on both sides of the Atlantic, both speedily and satisfactorily.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson Fowler has been blessed with eleven children, eight of whom are still living, and in the circle of his home, which their happy voices and pleasant, cheerful countenances enhance in happiness, he finds that true content only found by a loving husband and father.
He is a Methodist, and is ever ready, both with purse and influence, to assist any worthy religious cause.
Such is his biography. In conclusion, it can be truthfully stated that Anderson Fowler has ever, in passing through life, used honorable principles that place him in a high position among the hon- orable business men of the world. He has ever
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conducted his business affairs in such manner as to gain the respect of the community; he has ever endeavored to do to others as he would be done by. With an untarnished name and an un- approachable reputation, honored by his fellow-
citizens, and revered by his many friends, who love him for his sterling integrity, there is no one who is more entitled to a prominent posi- tion in this biographical work than is Anderson Fowler.
JAMES W. SCOTT,
CHICAGO, ILL.
T HE publisher of the Chicago Herald-James junction with several young men from the Chicago W. Scott-was born in Walworth county, WVis., in June, 1849, and is the son of D. Wilmot and Mary C. Scott. His father was a practical printer, and was both the editor and proprietor of newspapers at Galena, Ill., for over thirty-five years. He died in 1888. Our subject received his early education in the public schools of the neighborhood in which he resided, and afterwards attended the Galena High School, and subsec- quently Beloit College, Wis. Having learned his trade in his father's office, he ultimately went to New York and engaged in floriculture, and con- tributed while there numerous articles to papers devoted to that interest. Leaving New York, he became an employe of the Government Printing Office at Washington. In 1872, he located in Prince George county, Md., where he published a weekly newspaper. But Mr. Scott's ambition sought a wider field than could be obtained in this State at that period, and eventually re- turned to Galena, and together with his father started the Press. But a still larger field was yet what he desired, and after some twelve months or so in Galena he determined to locate in Chicago, which at this time was forging rapidly ahead, and giving every promise of a bright future, though it must be admitted that the position this city holds to-day, amongst the cities of the United States, was not even contemplated at this pe- riod (1875), by even the most sanguine of its citizens. Arriving here in 1875, he purchased the Daily National Hotel Reporter, and by dint of judicious management, it became an almost im- mediate success. Contemplating changing it from a class daily to a general newspaper, Mr. Scott, however, ultimately decided to leave it to the management of his partner, F. W. Rice, who now so successfully conducts it. Organizing-in con-
dailies-a stock company, in May, 1881, the Chicago Herald was established, and in the fol- lowing year Mr. John R. Walsh, the well-known president of the Chicago National Bank, recog- nizing in Mr. Scott ability and judgment of a rare order, purchased the stock of those associated with him, and thus made the success of same-as far as matters of finance were concerned-an assured result. But something more than money is required if a paper is to become a general suc- cess, and this also Mr. Walsh gave to Mr. Scott, through his long business experience which cul- minated in many successes, but to Mr. Scott must be attributed in a large degree the suc- cess which has marked the establishment of, and still continues to make the Chicago Her- ald, one of this city's leading journals, and the one which possesses one of the largest morning circulations in the city of Chicago. Surrounded by a capable staff, and maintaining a liberal policy in news-gathering and its prepara- tion for publication, Mr. Scott himself overlooks the whole, and by his judicious management and mainly through his instrumentality, it has attained the reputation which it to-day holds amongst the leading journals of America.
He was recently elected president of the Ameri- can Newspaper Publishers' Association for the third time, and was for three terms president of the Press Club of this city (no other member of the club having ever been given a second term). These elections amply attest the appreciation in which he is held by his brother publishers and journalists.
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