USA > Maryland > Men of mark in Maryland biographies of leading men in the state, Volume I > Part 17
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It is natural in such rural sections, and even in the prosperous little towns which they nourish, that the deeds of one's father and grandfather should be accorded a certain reverence, because in these sections the history of every native family is a matter of public knowledge. If a man inherits a farm which was tilled by his ancestors the natural supposition is that he will follow in their footsteps.
This inheritance of a vocation is illustrated in the life of General Joseph Bruff Seth. His ancestors for generations had been in the legislature of Maryland, and it was not unnatural that Mr. Seth's neighbors should regard him as entitled to go to the legislature also; not with the blind hereditary support which characterizes a mon- archy; but rather that he might prove his worth as a law-maker.
As one of his credentials for the voters' consideration, Mr. Seth could supply a family record of brilliant achievements. His earliest American ancestor in the direct paternal line was Jacobus Seth, who came to the province of Maryland in 1664. He was admitted to citizenship by an act of the Provincial Assembly in 1654. He first settled in Dorchester county, and was married in 1676 to Barbara Beckwith, daughter of Captain George Beckwith, whose wife Frances. was a daughter of Nicholas Harvey, who came to Maryland in 1634 with Leonard Calvert and the party who sailed in the Ark. He sat in the first colonial assembly of Maryland, which was convened at St. Mary's City, January 25, 1637.
In political and military affairs the later ancestors of General Seth took an active part. His father, Alexander Hamilton Seth,
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who was for many years a prominent farmer of Talbot county; served his section in the Maryland legislature in 1844.
Joseph Bruff Seth was born on the family estate in Talbot county, on November 25, 1845. In his early years he attended the public schools of the neighborhood; but later he was placed under private tutors. Although he was destined to follow his father's footsteps in the legislative hall, he did not follow his father in his choice of a calling, but determined to practice law. In November, 1865, he entered the office of John M. Frazier of Baltimore, and began to read law. In 1867, he was admitted to the bar. For a short time General Seth continued to reside in Baltimore, but in 1871 he returned to his native county and began the practice of law at Easton, where the greater portion of his subsequent professional work has been done.
Thirty years after his father had served Talbot county as its representative in the general assembly of Maryland, the son was chosen to perform the same duties, sitting in the lower house during the session of 1874. General Seth was elected a delegate to the legis- lature which held its session in 1884, and again for the third time he represented his native county in 1886, during which latter service he was chosen as speaker of the house. For a considerable period there- after, General Seth did not take so prominent a part in the legislation of the State, although he continued active in the interest of the Demo- cratic party. In 1906, however, General Seth once more joined the ranks of active workers at Annapolis; on this occasion as a member of the senate, over which body he presided with rare skill and good judgment during a trying session. His selection as presiding officer of the Senate upon his first entering that body was an honor never before conferred upon a citizen of Maryland.
When, in 1SS4, Robert M. McLane became governor of Maryland, he appointed General Seth on his staff as judge advocate-general with the rank of brigadier-general; and he was reappointed to the same position on the staffs of Governor Lloyd and Governor Jackson. In October, 1890, he was chosen commander of the State Fishery force, and while commanding the State Navy he raised that service to a high standard of efficiency.
General Seth is a member of the Episcopal Church. He holds membership in the Maryland Historical Society and also in the Masonic fraternity, affiliating with Coates's Lodge of Easton.
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In 1879 General Seth was married to Sallie Goldsborough Bar- nett, daughter of Alexander H. Barnett of Talbot county, and grand- daughter of Dr. John Barnett, who was well known in the earlier decades of the past century. Mrs. Seth died in August, 1881, and a few months later her only child, a boy, died. In June, 1892, Gen- ' eral Seth married Mary S. Walker, daughter of Reverend Albert Rhett Walker, of South Carolina, and granddaughter of Bishop William Boone, first missionary bishop to China, whither he went in 1840 as a minister of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The ances- tors of Mrs. Seth, as well as those of the General, took an active and honorable part in early American affairs.
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HARRY GEORGE SKINNER
S KINNER, HARRY GEORGE. A comprehensive history of ship-building in America must take note of the important part which Baltimore has had in this industry. Before the dawn of the American Revolution, there had sprung up on the river front of the city which was destined to become the metropolis of the South, a number of yards in which were built sailing vessels. These crafts, for which no land was too distant, no sea too rough, nourished as no other agency could have done the commercial interests of the American colonies. The Baltimore-built vessels, known in those days as clippers, were able to outsail all other ships; and when the colonies took up arms against England, these swift-sailing ships became a dangerous instrument of destruction to the shipping of that country. The English generals themselves admitted that the most serious menace to the operations they planned against America, came from the clippers which sailed out of Baltimore's harbor.
The prominence which was given to Baltimore in the story of American ship-building because of the product of the early boat con- structors, has not been lessened in later years. The standard set by her pioneer ship-builders, who were equally adept in the con- struction of carriers of commerce and of engines of destruction, has been fully maintained by their successors in all the subsequent years. . The story of ship-building in Baltimore during the past fifty or sixty years reveals the same progressiveness, integrity, and perseverance that characterized it in preceding periods. The houses engaged in this industry have apparently been prompted by the same motives that moved the colonists to let no other city excel the Maryland town in the character of the boats she built.
No concern has done more in recent years toward maintaining the supremacy of Baltimore as a ship-building center, than that with which the Skinner family has been connected. The success of this family in that industry to which several members dedicated their energy and ability has not been accidental, but was planned for in advance by strict attention to detail and a thorough training in the technique of the science of ship-construction.
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Evidence of this is given by the career of Harry George Skinner, who succeeded his father and his uncle in managing first the estab- lishment of William Skinner and Sons, and later the William Skinner and Sons Ship-Building and Dry-Dock Company .- The old ship- builders received their training by starting as apprentices and grad- ually advancing to positions of responsibility. The representative modern ship-builder, of whom Mr. Skinner is typical, have the addi- tional advantage of having received in scientific institutions techni- cal training in those subjects that are most useful to one in this line of business.
Harry George Skinner was born in Baltimore, on December 17, 1858, the son of William Henry and Martha Anne (Wilson) Skinner. His father, a ship-builder by trade, served Baltimore City as the president of its Harbor Board. With his natural inclination for mechanics and passion for everything pertaining to shipping, the business of his father offered young Skinner ample opportunity. During his early years, while he was receiving the foundation of his education at the public schools of Baltimore, the boy was a frequent visitor at the ship-building yard of his father. He left school after completing the third year at Baltimore City College, and began his apprenticeship in the trade which he intended to make his life work.
In order to obtain a practical insight into the trade of ship- building, Mr. Skinner, while working as an apprentice, began to pursue at night such courses of study as would give him also a theo- retic knowledge of the science of ship-building. For three years he attended the night classes in mechanical drawing at the Maryland Institute-the School of Art and Design. In addition he began to study by himself certain branches of the ship-building business with the aid of such works as J. Scott Russell's "Ship Building," and Samuel J. P. Thearle's "Naval Architecture."
When Mr. Skinner started upon his chosen career, he had every- thing in his favor. No outside influence had been brought to bear upon him to persuade him to adopt ship-building as his profession, but a wise parent had left him to gratify his personal wishes, and it was solely by his own choice that he followed his father's business. He was afforded the opportunity to gain a broader view of the ship- building business than most men who engage in it, both because of his ability to study it theoretically and practically, and because of the guidance which was available to him through the wise experience
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of his father; and in addition his father's life offered an example of the habits and character which would ultimately win success. This auspicious beginning of his business career has been succeeded by a life of constantly increasing usefulness.
Mr. Skinner has been steadily engaged in the building and repairing of ships since his sixteenth year, when, in 1874, he became apprentice-boy. He has throughout this time been connected with the ship-building concerns which bear the name of Skinner. After the death of his father and his uncle, he assumed the proprietorship of the William Skinner and Sons plant. In 1899 the interests repre- sented here were combined, and the corporation of The William Skinner and Sons Ship-Building and Dry-Dock Company of Balti- more City, was formed, of which Mr. H. G. Skinner has been president and treasurer.
In March, 1906, Mr. Skinner and the interests which controlled the William Skinner & Sons Ship-Building and Dry-Dock Company of Baltimore City obtained control of the ship-building plant, dry dock and machine shops formerly belonging to the Baltimore Ship- Building and Dry-Dock Company, and formed a Company under the name of the Skinner Ship-Building and Dock Company of Balti- more City, which took over the property and plant of the Baltimore Dry-Dock Company and also the property of the William Skinner & Sons Ship-Building and Dry-Dock Company of Baltimore City. Mr. .Skinner is President and Treasurer of the new Company.
Mr. Skinner was married on April 7, 1885, to Gertrude Thompson, of Terre Haute, Indiana. They have had nine children, seven of whom are living in 1907.
He has always been a hearty supporter of all sports upon the water, and an active member in the organizations allied to the several branches of his business. He is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and is chairman of the executive committee of the Ship and Marine Engine Builders Associa- tion of Baltimore City. He is a member of the Masonic Order, and has been master of a Masonic Lodge. He is also a member of the Baltimore Country Club, of the Maryland Country Club, and of the Baltimore Yacht Club.
ROBERT HENRY SMITH
S C MITH, ROBERT HENRY, lawyer, was born at Lower Chance- ford township, York county, Pennsylvania, December 1, 1845. He is the son of Robert and Sarah (Ross) Smith. His father was a farmer and merchant, who took an active interest in public and political affairs. His ancestors came from the North of Ireland and settled in York county, Pennsylvania. They were Scotch- Irish on both sides, and some of them took an active part in the War of 1812.
The boyhood of Mr. Smith was passed upon a farm, and he had the usual tastes of a strong, country boy. He had regular tasks to perform in the care of the live stock, and in carrying on farming operations, and to this early training he feels he owes much. He says that the influence of his mother for good was strong and most particularly so on his moral life. "I was raised on the Shorter Cate- chism but my early life was not made irksome, but most happy." The books he found most helpful were those he came in contact with in his studies.
On account of lack of good schools near his home, Mr Smith often went long distances to obtain an education. He attended the public schools until fourteen years of age, and then fitted for college at the academies in York county. He enlisted in the 194th Pennsylvania Volunteers in July, 1864, for one hundred days. Enter- ing Lafayette College, he pursued studies at that institution, and re- ceived the degree of A.B. in 1867, and that of A.M. in 1870. In 1862. Mr. Smith had taught for one term at the public school, and after graduating from college taught for a year at the academy.
When he was graduated from college he intended to study medi- cine but he "received no encouragement and decided upon law." In 1868, he began the study of law in Baltimore, anu began to prac- tice there in September, 1870. There were at that time no law schools in Baltimore. He was inspired with a desire to excel and has built up an excellent reputation for integrity of character and for wide and accurate knowledge of admiralty law. His genial and
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affable manner has made him a large circle of friends. The influences which have counted for the most in his life have been those of home and contact with men.
Since 1900 Mr. Smith has been professor of admiralty, federal procedure, and legal ethics in the Baltimore Law School. In 1893, Mr. Smith was appointed a member of the Court House Commission, which built the present city court house. In the same year he became a member, and is now (1907) president of the board of trustees of the McDonogh School; in 1896, he was president of the Board of Supervisors of Election of Baltimore city, and in 1904, he was made a trustee of the Tome Institute at Port Deposit. He is also a direc- tor of the Third National Bank, the American Bonding Company, and the Title Guarantee and Trust Company. He is a member of the Zeta Psi Fraternity, and the University Club of Baltimore. In politics he is a Republican and was a nominee of that party for congress in 1894. In religious faith he is a Presbyterian, and he has had remarkable success in building up and keeping together the large Sunday School at the Second Presbyterian Church, of which he is the superintendent. In recent years Mr. Smith has enjoyed the exercise and amusement of golf. On April 23, 1873, Mr. Smith married Helen A. Alford. They have had two children, one of whom is now living.
He says, "My word to young men always is that there can be no success unless they are faithful and honest. I believe that character has more to do with a man's success than his genius."
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WILTON SNOWDEN
S NOWDEN, WILTON, lawyer, was born at Annapolis, Anne Arundel county, on June 5, 1852. He is the son of John Thomas and Maria Louise Snowden. His father, a man of courtesy, integrity and intelligence, was a merchant, and for some time served in the office of the clerk of the Superior court. Mr. Snowden's ancestors generally took an active part in the develop- ment of the colony and state. They were represented in the army, the legislature, and in various other fields of usefulness. His ances- tor, Richard Snowden, of Wales, settled in Maryland in 1665, and owned 10,500 acres of land in Anne Arundel and Prince George counties, to which his son added largely. In boyhood, Mr. Snowden had good health, living in the city surrounded by the strong influence of devoted parents. To the delightful atmosphere of his home life, his mother-a woman of splendid qualities-contributed in no small measure.
When quite young he took much delight in reading history, English literature, and popular scientific and philosophical works. His early education was received at private schools, until he entered the grammar school and then the Baltimore City college, which at that time bore the name of the Central high school. In 1869, he received a diploma from that school, and began active work as a clerk in the real estate office of Colonel P. M. Snowden, following this course of action on account of controlling circumstances. The desire to go through life successfully by the development of his own faculties in an honorable and useful way was a strong one with him. He feels that the relative strength of influences on his life was in this order: first, that of home, and next "in degrees difficult to differentiate, an appreciation of good association, study, and contact with men in active life."
On April 16, 1879, Mr. Snowden was married to Adela B. Vail. They have had five children, all of whom are living. After a number of years, during which he was carrying on business enterprises, Mr. Snowden pursued the study of law at the University of Maryland.
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He devoted his evenings to study; conducted his business interests in the daytime, and earned the degree of LL.B. at that institution in 1881. Mr. Snowden is the executive of the Baltimore Equitable Society, probably the oldest corporation in the state, receiving its charter in 1794. He has been a director in that company for twenty- five years, and is also a director (and vice-president), of the Central Savings Bank director and vice-president of the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company. He is a director in the National Bank of Baltimore, and a trustee in several benevolent institutions. In September, 1903, Mr. Snowden was made president of the Finance Commission of Baltimore for four years. In January, 1905, he became first vice-president of the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company. He is a member of several insurance orders. In politics he is a Democrat, though he has voted with the Independents on the good government issue, and on the gold issue. Mr. Snowden is a vestryman in the Grace Protestant Episcopal church; and is president of the Board of Trustees of the Samuel Ready school.
WILLIAM WALLACE SPENCE
L IKE Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Spence came to America to find a wide: field in which to exercise the business abilities which he believed he possessed; and, again like the steel king, he has never for a moment permitted his affection for the land of his birth to grow cold. He has been, first, a good American; but next, a loyal son of the land of heather; and his devotion to either has never hin- dered him in the one purpose of his life-to be a good citizen of the world.
William Wallace Spence, the son of Doctor John and Sarah (Dickson) Spence, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on October 1s. 1815. His youth was spent in his native city "fighting and play- ing" and enjoying robust health. His mother exerted large inilu- ence in the development of his intellect and character. After study- ing at the high school of Edinburgh, he began active life as a clerk in a lawyer's office. Later he chose a mercantile career, impelled by a strong ambition to make the best of life. In his early life in Edinburgh, which was not then a business town, he found little opportunity for acquiring a business education. He, therefore. decided to cross the ocean. He secured a position as clerk with a Norfolk firm. The bookkeeper for his employers, Messrs. Robert Tudor & Sons, had fallen sick and in consequence the firm's book-keeping was in arrears, causing the partners a great deal of uneasiness. Bookkeepers being scarce in the South at that time the Norfolk firm sent to Boston to secure one to fill the vacancy. It appeared, however, that Spence had previously familiarized himself with the books, by keeping a duplicate set of his own, into which he copied every entry the former bookkeeper had made. He was able, therefore, to write the books up to date, and surprised his employers, who at once countermanded the Boston message and gave him the position. Later he came up to Baltimore and, with his brother, engaged in a large trade in sugar, coffee and general merchandise, with the West Indies and South America.
Mr. Spence is a devoted Christian and has been an elder of the First Presbyterian church in Baltimore since 1846. He married
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Mary Susan Winkley, by whom he had seven children: three are living. At the organization of the Mercantile Trust and Deposit Company, Mr. Spence became its vice-president and continued in that position until the failure of his eye-sight in 1903. To his financial ability the company owes much of its early success. Having acquired large means, through his unusual business abilities, Mr. Spence has been a very generous donor to benevolent objects, especially to the Johns Hopkins University, which in gratitude named a professorship for him, and to the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia. He gave to the City of Baltimore a bronze statue of William Wallace of heroic size which stands in Druid Hill Park, and to the Johns Hopkins Hospital a colossal marble statue of Christ by Thorwaldsen. Mr. Spence has been president of the Board of Managers of the Presbyterian Eye and Ear Hospital since its establishment in 1877, and treasurer of the Egenton Orphan Asylum since its opening in 1870. He was president of the Aged Men and Women's Home and of the St. Andrew's Society for a number of years. He is a member of the University Club and of the Baltimore Whist Club. For several terms, he served as one of the Finance Commissioners of Baltimore city.
But any attempt to enumerate the services of Mr. Spence, either to his adopted city and state or to mankind in general, would only result in the production of a very inadequate index to an unusually full and rich life. Mr. Spence has been appealed to many times by the representatives of charitable organizations and societies or of committees laboring for some public good, and the response has invariably been as prompt as it has been unostentatious. His life, stretching over more years than are usually allotted to man, has been an honor to the nation that gave him birth and a blessing to the land of his adoption, and to the state and city in which he has resided.
CHARLES H. STANLEY
S TANLEY, CHARLES H., attorney-at-law, was born at Say- brook, Connecticut, on October 20, 1842, the son of Harvey and Mary Anne (Kenney) Stanley. His father, an excellent linguist, a fine orator, and a man of very fine literary attainments. was a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church, and a native of North Carolina. The family are descended from John Stanley. ·who came to the province of Maryland from England in 1653 and was surveyor of the Province in the following year. Charles H. Stanley's great-grandfather, John Wright Stanley, was prominent in North Carolina in the Revolutionary War; his grandfather was clerk of the Craven county court in North Carolina for fifty-four years. Edward Stanley, member of congress from North Carolina, was a cousin, and John Stanley, president of the state senate of North Carolina for many years, was a great uncle. Charles H. Stanley grew up in the country and, "like most country boys, did all sorts of work, but was especially fond of flowers and gardening, as I am now." He was strong and active, domestic in his disposition, but fond of hunting and fishing. A common school education at the public schools, and, at one time, instruction from a tutor in the family were the sources of his intellectual training and then he began active life as school teacher in the public schools. He worked as an engineer on railroad surveys during vacations and "early determined to do something, to study a profession and get along in life, and. if I could not do what I preferred, do what I could." Starting with nothing. Mr. Stanley writes, "my determination and impulse was to make a living, keep those dependent on me, and try, at least, to make a respectable mark in the world. My home life taught me that with- out a home, a man is little more than a brute; private study bas taught me that there is no success without application." He served for three years as a private in Company B, Ist Maryland Infantry in the Confederate Army and this service taught him a great deal of human nature. After his return to Maryland, he studied law and was admitted to the bar of Prince George's county. As a lawyer,
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