USA > Maryland > Men of mark in Maryland Johnson's makers of America series biographies of leading men of the state, Volume III > Part 14
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James S. Hagerty was a son of James Hagerty who was a native of Ireland. Hagerty is an old name in Ireland. Its original form appears to have been Hagarthy; from that the evolution was into Hagarty, and easily into Hagerty. The cyclopedia of Ireland gives as the coat of arms: Hagerty, a shield with the lower three-quarters red upon which appear three ravens in black; the upper quarter of the shield in silver with a green tree. The crest is a mailed upraised right arm grasping a Turkish scimetar. The motto is: Nec flectitur, nec mutat.
Oliver Parker Hagerty was a healthy boy, reared in the city with his most pronounced taste in boyhood being fondness for music. He was educated in private schools, and in 1890 engaged in business as a clerk. He had the healthy tastes of a young man; became affiliated with various fraternal orders, such as the Masonic, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Modern Woodmen of America. In all of these he has held official positions, being a past chief in the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and consul of the Modern Woodmen of America. More active service, however, than any of these was given as a member of the Roland Park Volunteer Fire Department, in which he served until March 1904, and put in fourteen hours of the hardest work of his life in the great fire of Baltimore in 1904. A man who passed through that fire could claim to be a veteran in fire work, just as a soldier who passes through a great battle can claim to be a veteran in warfare.
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Mr. Hagerty has the typical American taste in his fondness for baseball. His political support has always been given to the Republi- can party except that on county issues he voted independently.
Mr. Hagerty's father was one of the successful business men of his generation. The son's taste did not run in that channel; and as soon as it could be conveniently managed, he took up the quiet life of a country gentleman. It cannot be doubted that in this life he has ren- dered a public service, because it is just now the psychological moment when the agricultural interests of our country need every possible rein- forcement, not only in the interest of conservation of public resources, but also in the interest of larger production and in a cheaper living for the masses. Mr. Hagerty is a good citizen-he believes that one should be loyal to his country, to which he owes so much; that in private life, honesty, truth and consideration of the rights of others should be dominating principles. Mr. Hagerty carries his theories of good citizenship into practice. An incident which illustrates this, and which he himself would never tell, is related by a friend. When he went to give in his taxes, as he left the office of the tax collector, a bystander made the remark; "There goes an honest man,"-which statement was based on the fact that he had given an honest return of his property. In no other respect is American citizenship so much in default as in the chronic dishonesty about the payment of taxes,- and to find a man who is too good a citizen and too honorable to defraud the government of which he is a component part, is to find a man who has a just appreciation of what good citizenship means.
On June 8, 1893, Mr. Hagerty was married to Miss Susannah E. Harcourt. Theten children born of this marriage are all living; and if Mr. Roosevelt is right in his argument, Mr. Hagerty and his wife are contributing their full share to the future welfare of the country. Mrs. Hagerty comes from an old and famous English family of Norman origin which followed William the Conqueror to England, and which centuries ago held the title of Earl Harcourt. By the extinction of the older line, this title died out. By the marriage of Lord Vernon to Martha, sister of Simon, Earl Harcourt, we get the family of the Vernon-Harcourts, in the annals of which we find Edwin Vernon- Harcourt, Archbishop of York, and the late Sir William Vernon- Harcourt, twice Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain and one of the acknowledged political leaders of our generation. His wife, by the way, was an American woman. The coat of arms of the
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Harcourt family is thus described: Gu. two bars, or. Crest-In a ducal coronet or. a, peacock close ppr. Supporters: Two lions or., each gorged with a bar gemmelle gu. There are two mottoes. The first is: Gesta verbis prevenient. (Deeds come before words). The second motto is: Le bon temps viendra. Mrs. Hagerty has an Ameri- can ancestral line quite as famous as the English line. This is the Cushman line. She is lineally descended from Robert Cushman, treasurer of the Mayflower Company and assistant governor; and from Mary Cushman, the last survivor of the Mayflower Company. Another well known member of this family was Charlotte Cushman, the great actress; and also Cushman Caldwell, one of the editors of The New York Tribune comes down from this family in one line. Mrs. Hagerty's grandfather, Reverend Stephen M. Vail, an eminent clergyman and a professor of Oriental languages, was the first Metho- dist minister in America to insist that every minister should be a college graduate. He was one of the early abolitionists, an ardent Republican, and under Grant's administration served in the diplo- matic corps in Bavaria.
The present home of the Hagertys has long been known as "Paradise Farm." Having elected to make it a permanent residence, with the idea that it would be occupied by their children and their children's children, they have decided to rechristen it "Newnham" in honor of the old home seat of the Vernon-Harcourts of England.
· This brief sketch can be concluded in no better way than by the relation of a couple of incidents in Mr. Hagerty's life which illustrate his character. While a resident of Roland Park. near Baltimore, he was a member of the Civic League of that choice community. When he removed to Port Deposit, naturally he resigned his member- ship, and under date of February 12, 1906, J. H. Strauss, secretary, wrote in acknowledgement of his resignation and made this comment : "I am requested to advise that your resignation was accepted with regret, following which you were elected an honorary member of the Roland. Park Civic League as a token of the appreciation of your work while an active member of the League. Allow me to congratu- late you on being the first and, thus far, the only honorary member of the League, and to express my regrets for the occasion of your resignation as an active member."
On setting in Port Deposit, a strong love of music led him at once to take an interest in the musical life of the place. He found a
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struggling band without equipment. He did not content himself with mere expression of good wishes and sympathy, but went down in his pocket, and through his well-timed assistance the band was thoroughly equipped with new instruments, with uniform suits, with a place for meeting, and with competent instructors.
His taste for music has led him into a course of study, of both theory and practice, under the best teachers, and he has essayed composition,-one of the pieces composed by him known as "The Maryland Girl," being known and played all over the country.
Such men as Oliver P. Hagerty are an acquisition to any com- munity. We have far too few of them. A lover of his kind. unselfish. seeking no notoriety nor preferment, he is ever ready to contribute to the extent of his ability, whether it be in labor or in money, to the betterment of conditions in the community where his lot is cast.
GEORGE L. WELLINGTON
T HE name of Wellington instantly calls to mind that great sol- dier who overthrew the almost invincible Emperor Napoleon; but the Duke of Wellington was not really a Wellington. The general impression that his family name was Wellesley is also a mistake in a sense. The original family name of the Duke of Wellington's people was Colley or Cowley; and his grandfather, Richard Colley, on coming into the title of Baron Mornington assumed the surname of Wesley, which was afterwards turned into Wellesley,-and incidentally it may be mentioned that the celebrated John Wesley was a cousin of Richard Colley. The true Wellington family has been known in America long antecedent to the time when Richard Colley changed his name to Wellesley and became the progenitor of the great Duke of Wellington, for the American Wellingtons go back to Roger Wellington who came from England and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts in the colonial period. According to Burke, the Wellington family was settled in Brecknockshire, Wales, and has a very ancient coat of arms without crest or motto. The probabilities are, however, that the family was not Welsh, but English, and had moved over the border into Wales in some bygone century, as the name is distinctly English and probably dates back to the days of Saxon supremacy in England, like Wellings and Wellingham.
Of this old English and American family comes the Honorable George L. Wellington of Cumberland, easily the first citizen of that city. In the struggle of life, the ancient family name has been of value to him only as the strong blood in his veins made of him a stronger man than he might otherwise have been. He is what we mistakenly call in this country "a self-made man," meaning thereby a man who has worked himself up from the ranks without early advantages. It must be confessed that Mr. Wellington has traveled far. There runs also in his veins some of that strong German blood which has been such a potent factor in the making of Western Maryland.
The branch of the Wellington family to which Senator Welling- ton belongs is, curiously enough, German in its origin, though its
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history confirms the fargone English origin. It seems that Peter Wellington and his family, being Protestants, left England dur- ing the reign of Mary Tudor, commonly known as "Bloody Mary;" went to Holland, and thence up the Rhine to the Free Cities then existing, and settled near the city of Worms. Here the family con- tinued to live until 1848, when John Adam Wellington came to America, he having been concerned in the Revolutionary movement of that year. During the several centuries in which this branch of the family remained in the Rhine Country, it became thoroughly Germanized; so that Mr. Wellington can fairly claim both German and English descent.
Mr. Wellington was born in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1852. His educational advantages were of the most slender kind. At the early age of eleven, the boy had to go to work, and he began in a retail mercantile establishment. Naturally he did not know much about books; but he had, as after-events have shown, a powerful mind and a strong body to back up that mind. Better than all, he possessed an irresistible energy that would not be denied success in any matter that he undertook. He worked seven years in a store, put in all his spare time in study, and at the age of eighteen was qualified for a step forward. He became an accountant in the Second National Bank, where he worked faithfully and began to take an interest in public affairs as a worker in the Republican party, to which he has been politically devoted through life. His political work attracted the attention of the people, and 1883 found him County Treasurer,-his party being then in supremacy, which posi- tion he filled by reappointment until 1887, with great acceptability. In 1884, he was sent as one of the State delegates to the National Republican Convention. The young man of thirty-two had become a factor in State politics, though never for a moment neglecting the business interests entrusted to his charge. In 1889 he was again appointed County Treasurer, but did not serve out his term, for President Harrison in 1890 appointed him Sub-Treasurer of the United States at Baltimore. This was a long step forward. He served his term of four years efficiently and well. In 1889, prior to his appointment as Sub-Treasurer, his friends had made a strenuous effort to secure his nomination as representative in Congress from the Sixth District, but had failed. In 1892, the nomination was given him, but that was a Democratic year, and despite a tremendously
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active campaign, he was defeated. And here comes in a sample of that irresistible energy possessed by Mr. Wellington. Defeated for the nomination in 1889, defeated by the Democrats after he had ob- tained the nomination in 1892, in 1894 he came to the front again as the nominee of his party and was triumphantly elected. In 1895 the Republicans had not elected a governor in Maryland for a quarter of a century. They nominated Lloyd Lowndes, and Mr. Wellington was made Chairman of the State Committee. He managed and waged one of the most brilliant and successful campaigns ever seen in the State, and elected Mr. Lowndes and a majority of the General Assembly. Naturally, such a brilliant victory could not be over- looked by the party which was the beneficiary of it; and a general demand went up from the Republican leaders all over the State that Mr. Wellington should be made their candidate for the United States Senate. No man can win this honor without opposition,-and naturally there was opposition; but Mr. Wellington's friends pushed the battle with the result that in January 1896, he was elected Senator for the term beginning March 4, 1897, and served his six-years term with distinguished credit and ability. He is now something more than a national figure, as he is well known outside of the bounds of our own country.
Mr. Wellington is something more than a politician, he is a good politician; and he is all the better politician because he is not afraid to take a positive stand whenever his conscientious convictions are at stake. An example of this occurred in 1900. He differed with the majority of his party colleagues in the Senate upon what we call "our colonial policy ;" and notwithstanding the fact that his difference of opinion meant a loss of position to him in a political sense, he tenaciously adhered to his position; and as the years go by, the evidences of his wisdom in that matter multiply unceasingly.
Since his retirement from the Senate, he has not been a candidate · for public position, but has devoted his time to his business interests and to what might be called "the work of a publicist." He is presi- dent of two banks, the German Savings and the Citizens National, both of Cumberland, having been president of the Citizens National Bank since 1900, when it was organized largely through his efforts. He is also president of the Cumberland Electric Railway Company; the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, and the Tenth and Eleventh German Building Associations. He is vice-president of
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the Potomac Glass Company, and a director in the Koch Lumber Company. He is a Fast-Master of Potomac Lodge of the Masonic Fraternity; Past High Priest of Salem Royal Arch Chapter, and past Eminent Commander of Antioch Commandery. He is an active member of the Elks, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, and the Inde- pendent Order of Mechanics.
In 1877, Mr. Wellington was married to Miss Lina C. Lear. They have four children: Mr. John L. Wellington, connected with the Citizens National Bank; and the Misses Gretchen, Etchen and Olga Wellington.
In a splendid home on Washington Street, Senator Wellington has one of the best appointed libraries in the State, and there spends many of his most pleasant hours. He has been a student all his life, as well as a doer; and the fact that he has been so good a student accounts in some measure at least for the fact that he has been so effective a doer. And so the old habits abide, surrounded by his family, always ready to extend a hearty welcome to friends who may drop in; with his books under his hand-in the prime of his powers he is enjoying the well earned rewards of a laborious, useful and honorable life. Though out of politics as an officeholder, he yet retains a keen interest in everything that affects the public welfare, and his office in the Citizens National Bank is a mecca for his party friends who like to consult with him about party action in the State.
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JOHN JOSEPH KELLY
T HE sober history of Ireland is as full of fascinating romance as any story ever written by the most gifted writer of fiction. The romantic history of that beautiful island deals with every phase of human interest that appeals to man. The Irishman is an unusual compound. His love of country is almost equal to that of his religion. His temperament is poetic; his courage is a proverb : his charity and generosity know no bounds; his oratorical powers seem natural to all classes. Combined with all these qualities there is industry and downright honesty which makes him everywhere a most valuable citizen. He possesses a sparkling wit which tempers the hardships of life. A. remarkable people who under wise government would have made of Ireland the brightest jewel of the British Empire they have been compelled by unwise administration to leave their beloved island by millions and seek homes beyond the seas. Great Britain's loss has been America's gain, and the millions of Irishmen and their descendants who now are incorporated in the body of American citizenship have been as valuable a factor in the develop- ment of our country, morally and materially, as any other element in our conglomerate population .. In speaking of Ireland and Irish- men one is sorely tempted to enlarge, in view of the brilliant chapters which they have written upon the pages of history.
From Brian Boru and The O'Neil down to Patrick Sarsfield, from Sarsfield to the Irish Brigade at Fontenoy, from Fontenoy to the O'Donnell in Spain, from the O'Donnell to Wellington at Waterloo, from Wellington to Theodore O'Hara in our own Civil War, whose great epic, the "Bivouac of the Dead," is known and read of all men, from Theodore O'Hara to Cardinal Gibbons of today, everywhere, in every land, we see the Irishman in the front rank of soldiers, poets, churchmen, statesmen and business men.
Of this great stock comes John J. Kelly, one of the prominent business leaders of the city of Baltimore,
Mr. Kelly was born in County Galway, Ireland, on January 1, 1849, son of Patrick and Julia Kelly. There are several branches of
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the Kelly family in Ireland, but the antiquity of the Kellys of County Galway is shown by the possession of a Coat of Arms which goes back to that ancient day when Coats of Arms carried neither crest nor motto. Historians generally figure this to have been about the latter part of the twelfth or the beginning of the thirteenth century. The old Coat of Arms of the Galway Kellys is thus described: "Gu. on a mount vert two lions, supporting a tower ar."
Though not a college graduate the subject of this sketch received an excellent education in the schools of his native county, which was completed at the Catholic Monastery located at Mount Bellew, County Galway, Ireland. One accomplishment acquired during his educational training, and now far too much neglected, was a beautiful hand-writing, clear, legible and uniform. He landed in Baltimore in April 1864, a lad of fifteen. He spent a few years in what might be termed preliminary training. During those years he was engaged in hotel and grocery business and produce commission. In 1872, a young man of twenty-three, he had acquired a sufficient knowledge of the business conditions to justify a start on his own account and in that year he established a building supply business under the firm name of John J. Kelly and Company. To this business he has adhered loyally and tenaciously for thirty-eight years, and though his interests have ramified in every direction and he is now connected with a great number of enterprises, this is yet the interest which is nearest to his heart. As the business grew and his capital increased he became interested in other ventures, so that finally in 1899 he felt that it was wise to incorporate the original business, which was done under the style of the National Building Supply Company, of which Mr. Kelly has been the president since organ- ization. One of Mr. Kelley's sons, John J. Kelly, Jr., now vice- president of the Building Supply Company, and actively connected with Mr. Kelly in all of his various enterprises, has been trained up by his father to take over the care of these interests in so far as the elder man cared to be relieved, and thus insuring the continuance of the present policies and management.
This company operates an extensive lime factory in Texas, Baltimore County, and before Portland cement was manufactured in America was one of the largest importing houses of cement in the country, drawing its supplies from Germany, England, Belgium and France; maintaining branch houses in New York, Philadelphia, Wash-
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ington, New Orleans, and Savannah. Their headquarters now are located in their own concrete fire-proof building at nos. 418 to 424 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, with four branch houses in different sections of the city and suburbs, and are now stockholders and dis- tributors of some of the largest cement factories in America. They have large contracts on hand for the current year with the United States Government, State of Maryland and the City of Baltimore.
The extent and variety of his interests is worthy of notice: He is president of three companies: The National Building Supply Com- pany, the Maryland Terra Cotta Company and the Kelly and Broad- bent Planing Mill Company. He is vice-president of the Broadbent Mantel Company, the National Builders Supply Association of the United States and an ex-president of the Builders Exchange of Balti- more.
The magnitude of Mr. Kelly's operations may be judged by the fact that these different enterprises give daily employment to nine hundred persons.
He is treasurer of the Park Land and Improvement Company and for thirty years has been treasurer of the Loyola Perpetual Build- ing and Loan Association, one of the largest and most prosperous building societies of Baltimore on the mutual plan, and has handled wisely millions of dollars for this great society. He is a director in the Third National Bank, Chesapeake Brick Company, the American Mirror Company and the Oliver Hibernian Free School. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Club, the Pimlico Country Club and the Park Heights Improvement Association. A study of this list will show that he has given long and faithful service to church, community enterprises, civic improvement and mutual societies, equally with his own private business interests. Putting it in another fashion it may be said that he has been a money maker, but something very much more than a money maker. He has been a public-spirited citizen of the highest class, who has given years of service to the building up of the moral and educational interests of the community.
Mr. Kelly carries his sixty years lightly. He has worked hard, lived prudently, and as a result is now able to do the day's work that comes to his hand with as much energy and alertness as many men many years his junior can do.
He does not make up his mind hastily, but when once made up,
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decision is final, and there is no withdrawing. So well is this known that his word once given is absolutely accepted by all who know him, his character for uprightness and honorable dealing made by forty years of business integrity, being beyond question.
On November 17, 1874, Mr. Kelly married Miss Hettie E. Armstrong of Baltimore County. Of this marriage eight children have been born. Three boys died young and there are now living two sons and three daughters. The sons are John J., Jr., a capable and alert business man, at the right hand of his father in his business operations. The younger son, Eugene B., is now in College finish- ing his education, when he will enter his father's business. The daughters are Nettie J., Georgia R. and Etta M. Kelly. One of the sons and one of the daughters are married. Mr. Kelly has four grand- children.
The life of John J. Kelly is in itself a fine illustration of those sterling qualities which have made the Irish such a notable people. The devoted loyalty of the Irishman in America to the land of his adoption is but a sample of the faithful service he would have given to the British Empire if he had been permitted, and shows that the men who rule nations are not always wise.
WILLIAM COOMBS DEVECMON
W ILLIAM C. DEVECMON of Cumberland, one of the leaders in professional and business life of Maryland, was born in Cumberland on February 2, 1861; son of Thomas and Althea M. (Coombs) Devecmon. His father, Thomas Devecmon, was regarded as one of the ablest lawyers of Western Maryland. On the paternal side, Mr. Devecmon is of French origin, his family hav- ing been established in America by his great-grandfather, Pierre Devauxcelle D'Evecmon, who was traveling in America when the French Revolution broke out. The conditions in his own country were so horrible that he decided to become an American citizen, and married Hannah Sinnex of Wilmington, Delaware, and was thus the progenitor of a family of distinguished lawyers.
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