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. 2 > Part 13
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Returning to Wisconsin he settled at Juneau, and formed a law partnership with Mr. Charles Billinghurst, congressman from the Third Con- gressional District of Wisconsin. He afterwards went to Watertown, where he was associated with Colonel Charles R. Gill, formerly attorney-general of Wisconsin. In 1866 he removed to Chicago
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and formed a partnership with the late Edmund Jussen, under the firm name of Jussen and Bar- ber. Upon Mr. Jussen's appointment as Collector of Internal Revenue in 1869, Mr. Barber became associated with Mr. Francis Lackner, under the style of Barber and Lackner.
This partnership lasted until 1878, when Mr. Barber was elected to Congress from the Third District, on the Republican ticket. He first took his seat at the extra session convened by Presi- dent Hayes in March, 1879. While in Congress he secured the passage of a bill appropriating fifteen thousand dollars for building a harbor at Waukegan, Illinois.
His sterling honesty was shown by the fact that he continually opposed the free listing of articles of trade by the Democrats working in the interests of private parties. He had to contend against a strong pressure brought to bear by the newspapers and lobbyists, but it is to be mentioned that he was then, as he is to-day, an advocate of the revision of the tariff as a whole, but opposed to its manipulation for the advantage of indi- viduals.
Upon leaving Congress he was Receiver of the Land Office at Mitchell, Dakota, four years. Re- turning to Chicago he formed a partnership with Mr. Theodore Brentano. Since Mr. Brentano's elevation to the Superior Court bench of Cook county, Mr. Barber has practiced alone.
Among the recent trials of public interest in which he has been engaged, is that of John Culver
v's. the Chicago Herald, in a suit for slander, the damages being placed at twenty-five thousand dollars. As a lawyer, he is distinguished for clearness and comprehensiveness of statement and logic in argument, preferring to solve a legal prob- lem by argumentative reasoning, rather than by a mass of mere authorities, though he is exceed- ingly patient and diligent in research. He is quiet in his demeanor and an indefatigable worker. He has a large German clientage, being a fluent speaker in that language, and his practice em- braces all branches of jurisprudence. He has at- tained eminence and success by his own native ability and indomitable energy.
He is a member of the Chicago Consistory, Washington Chapter, and a Knight Templar.
He married in 1857 Miss Louisa McEwan, youngest daughter of General James McEwan, of Chester, Wisconsin, and has two sons and two daughters.
He is of a genial temperament, affable and courteous, and a man respected by all who know him for his unsullied record and honest life.
Domestic in his tastes, he is happiest by his fireside, though a welcome guest among all his friends, being a most interesting and well-read conversationalist, and thoroughly informed upon all the topics of the day.
In fine, he is one of the oldest members of the Chicago bar, commanding the respect of his pro- fessional confrères and the confidence and trust of all who come in contact with him.
FREDERICK WACKER,
CHICAGO, ILL.
F REDERICK WACKER was born in Unter- jesingen, near Tübingen, Würtemberg, Germany, September 30, 1830. His father, a physician, desired he should enter the medical pro- fession, but his inclinations were so strongly in favor of the brewing business, that he was ap- prenticed to the "Little Inn of Weilheim," a brewery with a restaurant attached, made famous by the students of Tübingen. After completing his apprenticeship, he, as journeyman brewer, entered upon the customary travels that were required by law, and worked in several great
breweries of Germany and Austria, excelling everywhere by his ability and faithfulness, and finally became, while yet a youth of not quite twenty-one years, head brewer in one of the largest breweries of Augsburg, whereby a good salary and a successful future became assured to him.
The liberty-loving youth became dissatisfied, however, with the political conditions then cxist- ing in Germany, and determined to immigrate to the United States, which he did in 1851. After a long and tedious voyage in a sailing vessel, he
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landed in New York. He then journeyed to Newark, New Jersey, where he remained a short time, locating finally in Elmira, New York. He earned his first money in the United States by cutting wood on a farm, but he soon secured a position in Elmira, better suited to his acquire- ments. There, in 1852, he married Marie Weisschuh, who died shortly after.
The monotonous and quiet life in Elmira was unsuited to his active disposition, and hearing of the energy, progressive spirit and phenomenal "removed to Franklin street, near Asylum place, growth of the west, he was induced in 1854 to remove to Chicago.
Mr. Wacker was one of the originators of the only then prominent German singing societies, under the direction of Carl Schuert, and of the old "Sharpshooters' Association," years before it was deemed desirable to incorporate the organization. Upon sand-hills covered with bushy undergrowth, to the north of the cemetery, now no longer in existence, they frequently held festivals upon the very spot now occupied by Lincoln Park. “Ger- mania " and " Mithra " lodges, and other societies in later years, likewise counted him among their members. He was also one of the oldest mem- bers of the Board of Trade.
On the 30th of September, 1855, he married Catherina Hummel, who, on the 29th of August, 1856, presented him with their only child, Charles H. Their happy union continued for twenty-nine years. Nothing was prized more highly by him than the peaceful, simple life of the family circle. His whole being was devoted to his family, and he spared no pains to completely guard their future against any reverses. To his son he gave every opportunity to gain a thorough education in good schools, as well as by travels in America, Europe and Africa, of which advantages young Wacker made most excellent use. Mr. Wacker was at all times ready to contribute his mite toward enterprises calculated to promote the public good, and many needy persons have ex- perienced his kindness and generosity. The do- nations made to Uhlich's Orphan Asylum, German Hospital, Old People's and Alexian Brothers' Hospitals, amounting to twenty-five thousand dollars, speak for themselves.
His activity from 1854 until his death in 1884, was remarkable.
During his first years in Chicago he was engaged
in various occupations, such as inn-keeper, farmer, and general produce merchant, but his predilec- tion for the brewing business induced him soon to accept a position in Lill and Diversey's ale brewery. He was engaged as foreman by the predecessor of Mr. Rodemeyer, and later by Louis Rodemeyer himself. In 1857 he bought Blattner's share in Blattner and Seidenschwanz's brewery (on Hillsdale street) between Rush and Pine streets, and in the spring of 1858 they now Webster avenue.
Here Mr. Wacker's business ability was severely tested, for with no financial means at his com- mand, embarrased by the greatest stringency of the money market the United States has ever known, he nevertheless succeeded in raising the business to an eminent height. After having pur- chased the interest of C. Seidenschwanz, he had the misfortune, in 1867, to see this thriving and prosperous business, reared by years of hard labor, devoured by flames.
His health had now become very much im- paired by overwork, and he finally yielded to the advise of his physicians and the entreaties of his family, and determined not to rebuild, but to make a trip to Germany, to seek relief and much- needed rest. In the following year (1869) he made a second trip to Europe, and returned some- what improved. But his disease, a chronic ailment of the stomach, to which he finally suc- cumbed, would not fully yield to the most skill- ful treatment to be found in this country or Europe. But he could not remain idle very long. With Mr. L. J. Kadish he erected a small malt house at the foot of Elm street; but soon the increasing demands of the business necessitated the purchase of the building at the corner of Clybourn place and South Park avenue, where the business was conducted on a much enlarged scale. Mr. Jacob Rehm purchased the interest of Mr. Kadish, the firm becoming F. Wacker and Com- pany, and so continuing until the business was incorporated under the name of the North- western Malting Company. The business in- creased yearly, and in 1875, when Mr. Wacker, physically worn out, was compelled to retire from the business, it had, under his management, become one of the largest malt houses in Chicago. The greater part of 1875 was spent in traveling
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in this country, and all of the succeeding years until the fall of 1879, were spent traveling in Europe by Mr. Wacker with his family, in search of health. His condition improved later through the skill of Ober-Medicenalrath Dr. Von Gärtner, of Stuttgart, and the wonderful properties of the Karlsbad waters, and the unremitting care of his devoted wife.
After returning to Chicago, Mr. Wacker soon found that he could not rest content unless ac- tively engaged, and this feeling of unrest led to the purchase of the old Burton Malt House, at the corner of Jefferson and Indiana streets, in the following spring. He made a fourth trip to Karlsbad in the fall of 1880, but returned in time to superintend the affairs of Messrs. F. Wacker and Son. The business of this firm increased rapidly, and a large elevator was built in 1881. In the following year Mr. Jacob Birk was admitted to the business, and the Wacker and Birk Brewing and Malting Company was organized,
with Mr. F. Wacker as president. The extra- ordinary success of this company under his management is well known. However, Mr. Wacker was not long permitted to enjoy his last success-his last illness confining him to his bed in 1884.
By his courage and will-power he had con- quered great misfortunes, had borne with forti- tude the most excruciating pain, but when in the month of April, 1884, he lost his beloved wife, who had for many years been his constant com- panion through adversity and prosperity, his cup of sorrow and of bitterness was, indeed, filled to overflowing. From day to day he became weaker, until he finally passed away on July 8, 1884, deeply mourned by his son, relatives and friends.
Thus terminated the life of a man who, by scrupulous honesty, indomitable energy and general ability, gained the esteem of all who knew him. He was truly a self-made man.
CHARLES H. WACKER,
CHICAGO, ILL.
T `HE selection of Charles H. Wacker from the twelve hundred thousand inhabitants of the city of Chicago as one of the forty-five citi- zens who constitute the Board of Directors of the World's Columbian Exposition, the greatest and most cherished enterprise of this marvelous metropolis, is in itself a sufficient testimonial to his integrity, business ability and worth. That he should have achieved such honor and distinc- tion among his fellow-men at the early age of thirty-five years demonstrates what may be ac- complished by well-directed ambition, when sup- ported by intelligent industry, perseverance and the cultivation of a frank and open bearing in all business and social relations.
The credit for Mr. Wacker's success is due not alone to his efforts, but also to the sterling quali- ties of his parents, Frederick and Catherina Wacker, née Hummel, who fully realized that the position in life of their only child must be de- termined by the thoroughness of his early train- ing and equipment. Born on August 29, 1856, he was from infancy taught to be self-reliant, in-
dustrious and courteous to his associates. His rudimentary education was received in the public schools of this city, the North Division High School and the Lake Forest Academy. His first acquaintance with practical life was in the office of the commission firm of Carl C. Moeller & Com- pany, and although he began at the beginning, within a few years he had advanced from office boy to a position of trust and confidence. In 1876 his father sent him on a three years' tour around the world. First of all, as a loyal Amer- ican boy, he saw this broad republic of ours in all her grandeur of scenery, visited the International Exposition at Philadelphia, sailed to the old country in order to acquire that polish of manners that refinement of intellect and that broad-gauge spirit, which travel and study in Europe, when rightly enjoyed, never fail to impart to the plastic mind of a young man.
Across the water he attended a commercial college, the noted Conservatory of Music in Stuttgart, and a course of lectures in the Uni- versity of Geneva, Switzerland, and while there
July Jours ChagPachu,
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became a member of a resident French family in order to pursue, in a more practical manner, his study of the French language. After visiting the ensuing World's Fair of Paris in 1878, he made the tour of the other countries of Europe-Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Austria and Italy. In the latter country his natural artistic instincts received proper direction, and gained a stronger impetus by a careful survey and comparison of the excellent features in works of art. The winter of 1878 he spent in Egypt, and viewed the pyramids, the sphinx and other vestiges of early Pharaohic power.
After his return home he at once plunged into business, and re-entered the office of Carl C. Moeller, where he remained until 1880. In that year he joined his father in establishing the malt- ing firm of F. Wacker & Son, which continued until 1882, when the Wacker & Birk Brewing Company was organized, with his father as presi- dent. In 1884 he met with his first severe blow in the loss, by death, in rapid succession, of both his mother and his father.
Shortly after the death of his father Mr. Wacker was elected president and treasurer of the Wacker & Birk Brewing Company, and in that capacity managed the affairs of the vast concern so well and wisely, and brought it to such an un- expected degree of prosperity, that in 1889 the at- tention of British capitalists was directed to the plant, and the same was sold to an English com- pany, but in such manner as to leave the former office and managing staff in control. Since the purchase, the brewery has extended its sphere of action and increased in value-a fact principally due to the energy and ability of Mr. Wacker.
Outside of the present brewing enterprise Mr. Wacker is interested in many other fields of busi- ness. He is a director of the Corn Exchange Bank, a member of the executive committee of the Chicago Breweries, limited, a director of the Wright and Hill's Linseed Oil Works; president of the Chicago Heights Land Association ; direct- or of the Chicago Title and Trust Company; director in the Western Stone Company; treas- urer of the new German Opera House Company ; a large stockholder in the Auditorium enterprise, and a director in the London and Chicago Con- tract Corporation. He is a member of the Chi- cago Board of Trade, of the Stock Exchange,
and holds appointments on three of the import- ant committees of the Board of Directors of the World's Columbian Exposition, to wit: On Ways and Means, on Music and Ceremonies, Foreign Affairs, and on Electrical Exhibits. He was president of the State Liquor Dealers' Protective Association for four consecutive terms.
Thus it will be seen that Mr. Wacker, especial- ly for a young man not yet in the zenith of life, and with so many older and more experienced men abundantly present in a city of so vast a population as Chicago, is continuously engaged in the management of a number of large and im- portant local ventures of different descriptions re- quiring the display of great versatility of busi- ness talent. But, nevertheless, he has found am- ple time to cultivate and enjoy the pleasures of social and domestic life. He wedded, on May 10, 1887, Miss Tillie Glade, the daughter of H. O. Glade, one of Chicago's old and respected citi- zens, and their union has been blessed by three children, two of whom, boys, Frederick and Charles H., survive. Mr. Wacker is perhaps even more prominently known in social than he is in business circles, where his sunny disposition and kindly sympathy has made him a universal fa- vorite. He is a well-known and appreciated member of the Union League, the Iroquois, Sun- set, Bankers', Goodfellowship, Athletic, and the Union clubs ; director of the German Old Peo- ple's Home, and a member of the Orpheus, Senne- felder, Suabian, and other German singing socie- ties. And in musical circles he is esteemed not alone as an amateur of some proficiency, but as a connoisseur, and is one of the public spirited Chicagoans who executed the guaranty that induced the great orchestra leader, Theodore Thomas, to remove his permanent residence from New York to this city. In all matters pertaining to art he is well versed, and besides enriching his home with numerous rare works of art collected by him from both hemispheres, has manifested deep interest in the Art Institute of this city. It is particularly in German-American circles of this city, however, that Mr. Wacker is most thor- oughly appreciated. He is vice-president of the Germania Mænnerchor, the leading German- American social organization in Chicago, and is a prominent member of the Chicago Turn- Gemeinde, the foremost athletic club of the city.
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Following the practice and teachings of his pa- rents, Mr. Wacker has not only jealously guarded and fulfilled the numerous charitable bequests made by his father, but has added thereto with a broad-minded liberality, without regard to national or sectarian bounds.
Politically, Mr. Wacker is a faithful follower of Jeffersonian doctrine, and an ardent admirer of Grover Cleveland ; and his generous donations in recent campaigns afford ample evidence of his party affiliations. An incident showing how highly he is esteemed by his party and by the community at large occurred in 1888, when he was named by acclamation in the Democratic State Convention for the office of State Treas- urer, the second highest gift in the power of the people of this State to bestow. At that time
Mr. Wacker was but thirty-two, and it is claimed that he was the youngest man ever nominated in this State for that high office. Mr. Wacker, how- ever, declined the honor proffered him, as he has likewise refused several other city and county nominations, owing to the fact that his extensive and varied business interests preclude the idea of political services.
In conclusion, it may be said Mr. Wacker, while yet a very young man, occupies an enviable posi- tion in the business and social life of the West, and his many natural gifts and acquirements will undoubtedly win for him other and higher posi- tions of honor and trust ; and in a galaxy of men of local note he must be assigned a place of high prominence, as a man of extraordinary worth to our growing and energetic commonwealth.
JOSEPH WATRY, M.D.
CHICAGO, ILL.
OSEPH WATRY is the son of J. P. Watry J and Susan (Wolf) Watry, of Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, who were married in 1842, in Bel- gium. His paternal ancestors were Belgians for several generations. His father immigrated to the United States in 1844, and was one of the first settlers in Ozaukee county. His maternal ancestry were from the Grand Duchy of Luxum- burg. Up to the time of his death, which oc- curred a few years ago, J. P. Watry had done a great deal of the pioneer work in developing Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, and at his death had a handsome competence, the reward for his unre- mitting toil.
Our subject has two brothers and three sisters living. Mr. N. Watry, a brother, owns and con- ducts an extensive optical institute on Randolph street, Chicago-it is one of the largest of its kind in the Northwest; another brother is a successful dealer in agricultural implements in Wisconsin. The sisters are all married and doing well. Joseph was born October 18, 1860, his early education was obtained in the common schools of Wiscon- sin. He next attended St. John's University, Stearns county, Minnesota, where he spent three years. By earnest, close application to study he graduated with high honor from the literary de-
partment of this College, but he did not rest con- tent with these honors-his mark was high, an ambition to master the. languages prompted him to go abroad to pursue his studies. Three years were spent in Belgium and France studying the languages, and preparing to enter the medical profession. Few native Americans spend as much time and patient study to prepare for a profes- sional education as did he. In 1880, he matricu- lated at Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, and at the conclusion of a three years' course was graduated, receiving the degree of M.D. The first year of his professional career was spent in general practice, in which he was very success- ful, but his inclination was to excel as an oculist and aurist. After spending six months in New York city, at the various eye and ear institutions, he went abroad to continue his studies in the hospitals of Vienna and Berlin. His investiga- tions were more particularly confined to the pathology of the eye and ear, nose and throat. Returning to Chicago, he has built up a large and lucrative practice.
That his attainments have, in some degree, been recognized, is shown by the honors that have been conferred upon him. Dr. Watry is clinical professor of otology and ophthalmology
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in the Hahnemann Medical College. He is at- tending oculist and aurist to the Hahnemann Medical Hospital, and, in association with Dr. Vilas, has charge of the eye and ear clinic. He is a member of the Homeopathic Medical Socie- ty of Chicago, a member of the National Insti- tute of Homeopathy, and of the State Homœo- pathic Medical Society. He is consulting oculist at the Optical Institute, No. 99 E. Randolph street. " Dr. Watry is a man of few words and quiet demeanor; he proceeds cautiously and under- standingly ; he is particularly practical, thorough, and a very successful clinical teacher, and has brought with him the thorough methods of the
old school on the continent. He usually says what he means, and is a great favorite with all earnest students. As an operator he is dextrous, skillful, confident and successful, and particularly well informed in all the modern methods."
The above is from an eminent practitioner, a distinguished writer and teacher in Hahnemann Medical College.
In addition to his accomplishments as a prac- titioner, Dr. Watry speaks, with fluency, German, French and English, and has a fair knowledge of Latin and Greek. For many years he has been a frequent contributor to the Transactions of the Hahnemann Clinical Society.
LOOMIS P. HASKELL,
CHICAGO, ILL.
T HE subject of this biography is a native of Bangor, Maine. He was born April 25, 1826, the son of Benjamin and Mary (Fuller) Haskell, natives of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and both of English ancestry. His maternal grandfather was a prominent clergyman. His father died when our subject was but five years old, leaving the mother with a family of five chil- dren to care for. Our subject had four sisters, only one of whom, Mrs. E. D. Warren, is now living. The eldest sister was the wife of M. P. Hanson, a noted physician, formerly of Bangor, Maine, but more recently of Milwaukee, Wiscon_ sin. When Loomis was twelve years old, his mother, having married, moved to Salem, Massa- chusetts, and there he spent three years in school. During the next five years he worked in a print- ing-office, in Boston, Massachusetts, at the end of which time, being then nineteen years of age, he began the study of dentistry with Dr. M. P. Hanson. In 1856, in company with Dr. Han- son, he removed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and engaged in the practice of dentistry until 1857, when he took up his residence in Chicago, and during the next eleven years was associated in his profession with Dr. W. W. Allport, a gentle- man who stands at the head of the dental pro- fession in the United States. During all the years since then Dr. Haskell has continued in ac- tive practice, and enjoys a wide reputation as one
thoroughly skilled in his profession-his specialty being in the line of mechanical dentistry. Al- though deprived of the advantages of schooling in early life, Dr. Haskell has, by his life-long stu- dious habits, educated himself, and few men are better informed than he. In his profession he is par excellence, and products of his pen have fre- quently appeared in the dental journals. As a writer, Dr. Haskell is known for his conciseness and clearness of statement, never writing except for a purpose on subjects worthy of notice, and then expressing his thoughts in simple language, and always writing to the point. He is the au- thor of a small but valuable work entitled, "The Student's Manual," which has been republished in both France and Germany in the languages of those countries. During the first four years of the Chicago Dental College, Dr. Haskell held the chair of prosthetic dentistry, and for three years past has been a professor in the same branch of study in the dental department of the North- western University. In 1888 Dr. Haskell estab- lished the Haskell Post Graduate School of Pros- thetic Dentistry,-the first Post Graduate School of Dentistry. Students are constantly in attend- ance from every State in the Union, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Holland, New Zealand and Australia. He is a man of quiet demeanor, with keen foresight and good judgment, and withal a warm-hearted and genial companion.
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