Greater Indianapolis : the history, the industries, the institutions, and the people of a city of homes, Part 107

Author: Dunn, Jacob Piatt, 1855-1924. cn
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 972

USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > Greater Indianapolis : the history, the industries, the institutions, and the people of a city of homes > Part 107

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higher courts. He has continued on the bench by successive re-elections, and his services have been alike creditable to himself and of value to the county and city which comprise his jurisdiction. He has the respect and con- fidence of the members of the bar, who honor him for his inflexible honesty and integrity of purpose and admire him for his high attain- ments as a lawyer and jurist.

None has a greater love and admiration for Indianapolis than has Judge Leathers, one of her native sons and most loyal citizens. He accords an unwavering allegiance to the Re- publican party, is a member of the Marion Club, the Columbia Club and other repre- sentative civic organizations and is one of the zealous and valued members of All Souls Uni- tarian Church. Judge Leathers was reared in the orthodox faith, but the individuality and strength of his intellectual powers, his close and analytical study of spiritual subjects and his independence of thought wafted him hither and thither until he finally found safe grounds of religious belief in the Unitarian Church. From an appreciative and scholarly paper writ- ten by him and presented before the members of the church with which he is identified are made the following pertinent extracts, which measurably indicate his views. The paper was entitled "Ideals of Liberal Christianity."

"I was reared in an orthodox church; and it was, indeed, as liberal and progressive as a church could be that assumed to be orthodox. In youth I listened to its teachings; and it would have been a source of peace and comfort and happiness if in good faith my mind could have yielded assent to its essential doctrines. * * * But my reason absolutely refused to yield honest acceptance of the creeds of the orthodox faith. If one should become a mem- ber of a church whose teachings were opposed to his convictions and discredited by his rea- son, he would not be true to himself. It would be an indication of insincerity and hypocrisy, which could not be tolerated by a lover of truth and honest of purpose. Such an act could never result in spiritual growth or joy or benefit. For many years I drifted aim- lessly upon the sunless sea of agnosticism. I was unconsciously prejudiced against the Uni- tarian church and, indeed, all liberal religion, such prejudice, no doubt, being a heritage of

earlier years. * * * At last I resolved to take a definite, positive attitude toward the creeds of the orthodox church. I was con- vinced that one should resolutely face the great problem and persistently seek the truth, in a spirit of love and patience and tolerance. Doubtless everyone can recall some fact or in- cident, the direct or immediate influence of

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which was to cause a turning-point or crisis in his life-when, as a result thereof, the mind and conscience awakened to the revelation of truth and duty; when indifference suddenly changed into interest ; when doubt became con- viction, and idle, futile dreams were metamor- phosed into resolute endeavor and positive achievement. The turning-point may have been caused by the study of a great author ; or by the acquisition of a new friend who stirred the heart and brain and conscience; or the awakening may have been the fruitage of life and its experiences. My growth into the liberal faith, and its appeal to my reason and conscience, may be distinctly traced to the study of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I learned to love and revere Emerson, one of the loftiest, purest souls in history. He was a seer whose open eyes rested constantly upon the summits of truth. So many of his noble utterances are as blasts from the clarion of an angel! He encourages liberal thought and independent judgment. How can the lover of Emerson be orthodox ?

"But more immediate and practical in its influence and effect was a little pamphlet, en- titled 'Progress,' published in the interest of this church. The issue of December, 1905, fell into my hands. It contained a clear and vig- orous statement of the purposes and ideals of this church. It made instant appeal to my reason. At the beginning of this pamphlet, in large type, were those words which have been inscribed upon the wall behind the pulpit of this church and which fittingly occupy so con- spicuous a place :

" 'Love is the spirit of this church, service its law. To dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another- this is our covenant.'

"What declaration of faith, if I may use that expression, could be more direct and com- prehensive? Is it not broad enough for all humanity ? Liberal religion may be compre- hensively characterized as that broad and bene- ficent religion whose dominating spirit is love of one's fellow men, and whose chief law is ser- vice in their behalf. Love is the broad basis of the liberal faith-love of God and fellow men."

The address was on the whole one of signal beauty and exemplified the loftiest ideals as well as careful study of psychological subjects and deep investigation of the scriptures. It is not possible to make further quotations from the same, but even the few statements that have here been given indicate that Judge Leathers has indeed a "reason for the faith" to which he holds and through which he has found his life broadened and illumined.

DR. HERBERT L. WOODBURY was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, April 17, 1869, and on the paternal side he traces his ancestry back through many generations to John Woodbury, who came to this country from England in 1623. On the maternal side the ancestry goes back to the kings of Ireland, and the house where his parents now live has been owned by the Whitimore family for one hundred and seventy-five years. For four generations back in this family representa- tives have been graduates from Harvard Uni- versity. George Whitimore, Dr. Woodbury's maternal uncle, fell at the battle of Antie- tam. The parents of Dr. Woodbury are David E. and Susan (Whitimore) Woodbury, the father born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, December 14, 1828, and the mother in Bos- ton, that state, March 17, 1830. They were married at Gloucester in 1859, and their union was blessed by the birth of six children, five now living, and the doctor is the young- est of the family. David E. Woodbury was engaged in the fishery business, owning his own fleet, and of late years he has been buy- ing and selling fish. He has held city offices, and for many years has been a member of. the Baptist Church.

Dr. Herbert L. Woodbury supplemented his public school training at Gloucester by at- tendance at the Boston University and the State College of Massachusetts, receiving the degree of B. A. from both institutions, and afterward was principal of the school at Northboro, Massachusetts, and professor of horticulture for one year in the Massachu- setts College. Following his graduation from the medical department of · Harvard Univer- sity with its class of 1899 he spent one year in Colorado and Mexico with a patient, and then locating at Natick, Massachusetts, in 1900, was surgeon on the hospital staff at the House of the Good Samaritan. Coming to Indianapolis in October of 1905, he has since been engaged in the general practice of medicine here and is professor of obstetrics in the Indiana Medical School. He is a mem- ber of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Boston Medical Association, the Vermont State Medical Society, the Boylston Medical Society, the Marion County Medical Society, the Indiana Medical Association, the Vermont Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

Dr. Woodbury married Josephine Hayde on March 28, 1905. She is a daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel Alden and Laura (Fletch- er) Hayde, their only child, and both parents are now deceased, the father dying in 1901 at the age of seventy-three years, and the

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mother in 1908, aged sixty-five. Rev. Hayde was a renowned Congregational minister, and was called the Bishop of Indiana. He spent about forty years of his life in In- dianapolis, and was the first president of the Art Association, and held the same office in the Children's Christian Association. He was a man of the highest Christian character, honored and revered wherever known. The only child born to Dr. and Mrs. Woodbury is their daughter, Susan Whitimore.

ALEXANDER TAGGART has been identified with the business affairs of Indianapolis for more than forty years, within which time he has advanced from the position of a youth employed at the baker's trade in a small es- tablishment to that of a strong man of affairs. He was practically retired from active busi- ness for a few years, but is now again iden- tified with the line of enterprise through which his advancement was won, being treas- urer of the Taggart Baking Company, of which his brother, Joseph, is president, and of which his own son, Alexander L., is secre- tary and general manager. A sketch of the career of Joseph Taggart appears on other pages of this volume.

Alexander Taggart is of English and Manx lineage and was born in Ramsey, Isle of Man, on the 5th of April, 1844, being a son of James and Elizabeth (Lewthwaite) Taggart, both of whom there passed their entire lives, the father having been a baker and a man of strong mentality and inflexible integrity. Alexander Taggart was afforded the advan- tages of the common schools of his native town, and at the age of sixteen years entered upon an apprenticeship at the baker's trade in the establishment conducted by his father. He became familiar with all details of the business, and remained in his native place until he was of age, when he emigrated to America. In 1865 he left New York City for Indianapolis, where he at once secured work at his trade in the establishment of a Mr. Thompson, one of the pioneer bakers of the capital city. He remained thus engaged for one year, after which he returned to his old home, where he remained about' one year, at the expiration of which he came again to Indianapolis, which has been his residence although during the later years he has made several visits to the land of his birth, which he holds in affectionate memory.

Mr. Taggart continued to be employed as a journeyman at his trade until April 12, 1869, when he engaged in business in an in- dependent way. For several years he con- tinued his bakery business individually and then formed a copartnership with B. E. Par-

rott. Thereafter the firm of Parrott & Tag- gart continued operations for a period of eighteen years, within which the establisli- ment had gained precedence as the largest and best equipped in Indianapolis, and at the expiration of the interval noted the business was merged into the United States Baking Company. Still later this became a local branch of the National Biscuit Company, of which Mr. Taggart became a director, having charge of the business in Indianapolis. This position he retained until 1904, when he re- signed his office of director and disposed of ·his stock in the company, after which he lived retired for one year. In 1905 the Jo- seph Taggart Baking Company, founded by his brother, Joseph Taggart, was reorganized and incorporated under the title of the Tag- gart Baking Company, and of the new cor- poration, Alexander Taggart has since been treasurer. The company now has the largest institution of the kind in the state and its trade not only covers the capital city, but its products are in demand in many of the cities and towns in the central part of the state. The plant of the company, eligibly located on North New Jersey street, is a sub- stantial structure of four stories and base- ment, having a frontage of one hundred and forty-five feet and a depth of one hundred and forty feet. Its latest addition was erect- ed in 1908 and is thoroughly fireproof. The mechanical facilities and all other accessories are of the best modern type and every pro- vision is made to insure perfect cleanliness and sanitary conditions. To give an idea of the great demands placed upon the establish- ment it may be stated that its average out- put of bread alone is fully 37,000 loaves per day.

Never desirons of entering the turmoil and turbulence of "practical politics", Mr. Tag- gart has not failed to maintain a loyal in- terest in good government and in all that touches the welfare of his home city, and in a generic way his support is given to the cause of the Republican party. He has been essentially a straightforward and progressive business man, never ambitious for public ad- vancement. He is, nevertheless, well known to the citizens of Indianapolis, where he has so long maintained his home, and he enjoys unqualified popularity in business circles and in the modest social life which has appealed to him. Both he and his wife are zealous members of the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal Church, with which he identified himself in 1865-the year which marked his arrival in the Hoosier capital and metropo- Jis.

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On the 9th of January, 1873, Mr. Taggart married Miss Alice Bell, daughter of the late Charles Bell, of Plymouth, Indiana, in which state she was born and reared. The children of this union are Gertrude, Lillian, Mona, Alexander L., William, and Edward.

FRANK T. DOWD, M. D. It is gratifying to be able to incorporate within the pages of this history of "Greater Indianapolis" specif- ic mention of so large a number of those who here hold precedence in the medical pro- fession, and on the roster of the able physi- cians and surgeons of the Indiana capital the name of Dr. Frank T. Dowd is well en- titled to place. Strongly fortified in the learning of both branches of his profession, his success has been on a parity with his abil- ity and he controls an excellent business in his chosen profession.

Dr. Dowd is a native of Indiana, as he was born at New Albany, Floyd County, this state, on the 31st of July, 1880, and he is a son of Thomas and Anna (Hoffer) Dowd, both of whom were likewise born and reared in New Albany, where their marriage was solemnized. Of their four children three are now living, the subject of this review being the eldest of the number; Charles is engaged in business in New Albany; and Alfred is still attending school. Dr. Dowd. was afforded the advantages of the parochial schools of his native city and in preparation for the work of his exacting profession he entered the Indiana Medical College, in In- dianapolis, in which well ordered institution he completed the prescribed course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1902. During his senior year in this institution, from which he received his well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine, he served as interne in the Indianapolis City Hospital, where he gained valuable clinical experience, as did he also, after his graduation, in the position of house physician of St. Vincent's Hospital. In the general practice of his profession Dr. Dowd has built up an essentially representa- tive business, and he maintains his offices at 712 Massachusetts avenue, with residence at 425 East Michigan street. He keeps in close touch with the advances made in the sciences of medicine and surgery and his devotion to his profession is of the most insistent order, as he subordinates all other interests to its demands. He is an appreciative member of the American Medical Association, the In- diana State Medical Society, and the Indian- apolis Medical Society, and is attending phy- sician for the Little Sisters of the Poor, one of the noble orders of the Catholic Church. He is affiliated with the Ancient Order of

Hibernians, the Knights of Columbus, and the Young Men's Institute, and his public spirit and high civic ideals are indicated by his identification with the Indianapolis Con- mercial Club. He and his wife are communi- cants of the Catholic Church and are mem- bers of the parish of St. Joseph's Church, of which his uncle, Rev. Francis B. Dowd, is pastor.

On the 12th of May, 1908, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Dowd to Miss Nannita Grote, who was born in Indianapolis, in April, 1881, and who is a daughter of Charles and Margaret (Walker) Grote, the former a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the latter of Terre Haute, Indiana. Of their three chil- dren Mrs. Dowd is the only survivor. She received an admirable education in music at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, in Terre Haute, and has great ability as a harpist, in which connection she has achieved no slight reputa- tion. Dr. and Mrs. Dowd have one child, Francis B. Dowd, Jr. Dr. Dowd is not only recognized as an able representative of his professioni, but he and his wife also enjoy marked popularity in connection with the so- cial activities of the capital city, where they have a wide circle of friends.

WILLIAM J. MOONEY. To the enlisting of the co-operation of men of notable enterprise,. ability and integrity in the furtherance of her commercial and industrial activities is mainly due the precedence and great material prosperity of Indiana's capital and metropo- lis, and contributing its quota to such com- mercial prestige. the wholesale drug house of the Mooney-Mueller Drug Company merits definite recognition in this history of "Greater Indianapolis". Of this company William J. Mooney is president, and he is known as one of the progressive and reliable business men of the city and as a citizen of distinctive loyalty and public spirit. It is one of the prescribed functions of this pub- lication to give consideration to such repre- sentative business men, and at this juncture is entered a brief review of the career of him whose name initiates this paragraph.

William J. Mooney finds a due measure of satisfaction in adverting to the fine old Hoosier commonwealth as the place of his na- tivity. He was born in Washington, Daviess County, Indiana. on the 17th of April, 1863, and was the twelfth in order of birth of the thirteen children of Thomas and Grace (Lavelle) Mooney. Thomas Mooney and his wife were both born in County Mayo, Ire- land, where they were reared and educated and where their marriage was solemnized. They came to America in the year 1847, mak-

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ing the voyage on a sailing vessel and land- ing in the port of the City of New York. From the national metropolis they went to Rutland, Vermont, and later they came to Indiana, where they took up their residence. Here the father became a successful con- tractor, in which connection he was first iden- tified with the construction of the line of the Chicago, Indianapolis & Cincinnati Railroad, now the Monon route, between Bedford and Orleans, Indiana. Later he was a contractor in the building of the line of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad between Loogootee and Washington, Indiana-a line that is now an integral part of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- road. After his retirement from railroad con- tracting Thomas Mooney became prominently identified with mercantile, coal and pork- packing enterprises at Washington, this state, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred in 1875. He was a man of marked business acumen and of sterling at- tributes of character, so that he ever com- manded' unqualified popular confidence and esteem, the while he became known as one of the thoroughly representative business men of the thriving little city of Washington. He and his wife were both communicants of the Catholic Church.

William J. Mooney was, afforded the ad- vantages of the parochial and public schools of his native town, where he was reared to maturity, and he was about twelve years of age at the time of his father's death, so that he early began the battle of life on his own responsibility. At Washington he began clerking in a drug store and there he eventu- ally engaged in the retail drug business in an independent way. With thorough knowl- edge of all details of this important line of enterprise and with the same constructive energy that has characterized his course in a wider field of endeavor, he built up a suc- cessful business, to which he continued to give his attention until 1881, when he came fo Indianapolis and identified himself with the wholesale drug business of the late A. Kiefer. With this concern he continued to be connected until 1902, when he associated himself with J. George Mueller in the or- ganization and incorporation of the Mooney- Mueller Drug Company, of which he has since been president and of which Mr. Muel- ler is secretary and treasurer. This concern has become one of the best known wholesale drug houses in the middle west, and with the best of facilities and equipment, combined with progressive and honorable management on the part of the interested principals, it now controls a large and substantial trade

throughout Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. The establishment of the company is located at 1210 West Pennsylvania street and its stock is at all times maintained at the highest stan- dard, so that it is fully equipped for meet- ing the demands placed upon it by its extend- ed and appreciative trade. Mr. Mooney has thoroughly identified himself with local in- terests and through his well directed energies has gained secure standing as one of the alert, vigorous and substantial business men of the capital city. He is a member of the direc- torate of each the State Life Insurance Com- pany, the Citizens' Gas Company, and the Indianapolis Trade Association, and he is also an active member of those representative or- ganizations, the Commercial Club and the In- dianapolis Board of Trade, of which latter he was at one time president. He also holds membership in the German House, one of the leading. civic organizations of the city. Though he has never been inoculated with the virus of political ambition he accords a stanch support to the cause of the Democratic party and he is at all times ready to lend his influence and co-operation in the promotion of enterprises and measures projected for the general good of the community. He is a com- municant of the Catholic Church.

On the 25th of June, 1900, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Mooney to Miss Josephine Breen. She passed to the life eternal on the 11th of February, 1904, and of the two chil- dren, William J., Jr., and Joseph, the latter is deceased.

EMMETT J. HEEB. One of the splendid in- stitutions that contributes materially to the prestige of Indianapolis as an educational center is the Indianapolis Business Univer- sity, which is recognized as one of the fore- most schools of the kind in the United States and of which the able and honored president is he whose name initiates this paragraph. Correlated with the university are maintained the National Correspondence Schools, which in their facilities and functions compass as magnificent a work as does the university in its more direct way. The institution dates its inception back to the year 1850 and though there have been various changes in title, it thus stands as one of the oldest, as well as one of the greatest business univer- sities in the country, being well designated as a university while others can claim in a legitimate way only the title of college. The upbuilding of this fine institution to its present status has been largely the work of its vigorous, enthusiastic and able chief ex- ecutive, and while the province of this pub- lication is such as to preclude detailed de-

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scription of the institution of which he is the head, full information concerning the same may be found in the ample and admirable literature issued by the university and sent forth to those who make application for the same.

Emmett J. Heeb was born on a farm in Fayette County, Indiana, on the 11th of June, 1858, and is a son of William and Nancy (Wagner), the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in Hamilton, Ohio. The father died in the State of Texas, at the age of seventy-five years, and the mother lived to attain the venerable age of eighty years. Of the two children the sub- ject of this review is the younger. William Heeb was a carriagemaker by trade but the major portion of his active career in America was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He maintained his home in Indiana for many years but passed the closing years of his life in Texas, as already intimated in this con- text. He was a stanch Democrat in his political proclivities. The Wagner family was founded in America in the colonial days and the lineage is traced back to stanch Ger- man origin. George William Wagner, great- grandfather of Mr. Heeb in the maternal line, served as a lieutenant under General Wash- ington in the War of the Revolution, and by reason of this fact Mr. Heeb is eligible for and holds membership in the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Emmett Jerome Heeb gained his early edu- cational discipline in the district schools of his native county and later attended the pub- lic schools in the village of Fayetteville, after which he was matriculated in Valparaiso Business University, at Valparaiso, Indiana, in which he was graduated and thereafter he completed a five years' extension course in the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, Ohio. In January, 1883, Mr. Heeb became principal of a department and also office manager in the Bryant & Stratton Business College in Indianapolis, and in 1885 he purchased the interest of the founder of this college, from which has been evolved the great Indianap- olis Business University, and he has thus been at the head of the institution for more than a quarter of a century-a period marked by large and definite accomplishment on his part. At the time of assuming charge of the original college, which had been founded in the year 1850, Mr. Heeb was the youngest man to occupy such a position in the United States, but he showed even at that time the maturity of judgment, the fertility of re- source and the strong initiative power that have made him so successful a figure in the

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Greater Indianapolis : the history, the industries, the institutions, and the people of a city of homes, Part 107

Author: Dunn, Jacob Piatt, 1855-1924. cn Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 972

Author: Dunn, Jacob Piatt, 1855-1924. cn
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 972