Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 64

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 858

USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan > Part 64

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On the 8th of October, 1902, Dr. Nathan Jenks was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Cady, daughter of D. D. Cady, a member of the well known wholesale grocery concern of Lee, Cady & Company, of Detroit.

SILAS B. COLEMAN.

Among the strong and honored figures in the financial and business circles of Detroit and the state of Michigan was Silas B. Coleman, whose capitalistic interests were varied and important, and who stood as a type of the steadfast, honorable and upright business man and loyal and public-spirited citizen. It was his to render valiant service to the nation in the civil war, and his life throughout was domi- nated by the same high sense of duty which prompted him as a youth to go forth in de- fense of the integrity of his native land. He died at his home, 182 McDougall avenue, De- troit, on the 10th of January, 1908, as the re- sult of an attack of pneumonia, his illness hav- ing been of but one week's duration. He had been a resident of Detroit for nearly forty years and within this time had gained and maintained a positive and secure place in the respect and esteem of the community. At the time of his death he was president of the Na- tional Loan & Investment Company, and vice- president of the Detroit United Bank, two of the representative financial institutions of the state.

Mr. Coleman was born in New York city, on the 29th of July, 1843, and was a scion of families founded in America in the colonial era of our national history. He was afforded

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good educational advantages in his youth and when but nineteen years of age he enlisted in the United States navy, in 1862. He was assigned to duty in the quartermaster's de- partment, and served with distinction, on the gunboats "Tyler" and "Mound City," in all the engagements on the Mississippi river from Fort Donelson to Vicksburg and Grand Gulf, under Admirals Porter and Davis. He con- tinued in the navy until the close of the great struggle between the north and south and then received his honorable discharge.

After the close of the war Mr. Coleman re- turned to the state of New York, where he remained until 1870, when he took up his resi- dence in Detroit, with whose business and civic life he was thereafter continuously identi- fied until his death. Soon after locating in Detroit Mr. Coleman, whose previous experi- ence had well qualified him for the office, was made cashier of the People's Savings Bank, and he continued incumbent of this position until 1890. It was largely due to his discrimi- nating policy, wise counsel and marked admin- istrative ability that this institution attained to so great prestige and success, placing it among the leading banks of the city. Mr. Coleman resigned the position of cashier of the Peo- ple's Savings Bank to accept that of treasurer of the National Loan & Investment Company, which had been organized in the preceding year, and he continued incumbent of this office until he was elevated to that of president of the corporation, as the successor of Francis F. Palms. He continued as chief executive of- ficer of the institution until his death and was also a vice-president of the Detroit United Bank. Description of the National Loan & Investment Company is given on other pages of this volume, and reference should be made to the article as supplementary to this brief review of the life of Mr. Coleman.

In politics Mr. Coleman gave his allegiance to the Republican party, though. he never sought or desired the honors of public office. He was affiliated with the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and with Detroit Post, Grand

Army of the Republic, besides holding mem- bership in the Yondotega Club and other so- cial organizations. He was a man of broad intellectual grasp, of sterling integrity and of distinctive business ability, so that he was well qualified for leadership and for the handling of affairs of wide scope and importance, while to him was ever accorded the unequivocal con- fidence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact in the various walks of life.

Mr. Coleman was twice married,-first, to Miss Rebecca Backus, who is survived by two sons and one daughter: Archibald, who is a representative business man of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Emily M., who is the wife of Will- iam Crabtree, of Sanford, North Carolina; and Frederick W. B., who is engaged in busi- ness in London, England. In 1870 Mr. Cole- man was united in marriage to Mrs. Flora B. (Standart) Van Husan, who survives him. No children were born of the second mar- riage.

CHARLES H. CAMPBELL.

The history of jurisprudence and the legal profession in Michigan must ever pay a tribute of highest honor to the late Judge James V. Campbell, who was a member of the supreme court of the state, serving for many years on the bench, and of this distinguished jurist the subject of this sketch is the third son. A memoir to his father appears in this work, as well as a sketch of the life of his brother, Henry M. Campbell, with whom he is associated in the well known firm of Russel, Campbell, Bulk- ley & Ledyard.

Charles Hotchkiss Campbell was born in Detroit, the date of his nativity having been July 18, 1858. He completed the curriculum of the excellent public schools of the city, be- ing graduated in the high school in 1876. He then entered the literary or academic depart- ment of the University of Michigan, in which he completed the Latin and scientific course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1880. He received from this noble institu-

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tion of the state his well earned degree of Bachelor of Philosophy, and soon afterward began reading law in the office of Alfred Rus- sell, a representative member of the Detroit bar. He made rapid progress in his absorption and assimilation of legal lore and was well fortified for the active work of his profession at the time when he applied for and gained admission to the bar of his native city and state, in 1882. He forthwith became a mem- ber of the firm of which his brother was at the time junior member, and this alliance has since continued, with uniform harmony and success. The subject of this review has amply shown his mettle in many sharp legal contests and stands high in the esteem and confidence of his professional confreres as well as the general public of the city which has ever been his home. He is a Republican in politics and is a promi- nent member of Christ church, Protestant Episcopal, being also a member of the board of trustees of the diocese of Michigan.

WILLIAM C. SPRAGUE.

As a representative member of the bar of Michigan and as founder of the Sprague Cor- respondence School of Law, which exercises most beneficient functions in its prescribed province, Mr. Sprague merits distinctive recog- nition in this publication. He is especially fortified in his wide and comprehensive knowl- edge of the science of jurisprudence and as a publisher of legal periodicals and technical works he has attained to a noteworthy reputa- tion in professional circles. His correspond- ence school is established upon the basis of ab- solute legitimacy and is one of the worthy and valued educational institutions of Detroit.

Mr. Sprague finds a mede of just satisfac- tion in claiming the old Buckeye state as the place of his nativity. He was born at Malta, Morgan county, Ohio, on the 25th of Febru- ary, 1860, and is a son of Hon. William P. and Martha Ann Sprague. The father was one of the prominent and influential citizens of Ohio and represented his district in congress from 1871 to 1875. He was for many years one of

the leading business men of Connellsville, Ohio, where he was a manufacturer of agricultural implements and also president of the First National Bank.

The early educational discipline of the sub- ject of this sketch was secured in the public schools of Connellsville and after completing the curriculum of the same he was matriculated in Dennison University, at Granville, Ohio, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1881, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In preparing himself for his chosen profession Mr. Sprague availed himself of the advantages of that excellent institution, the Cincinnati Law School, in which he was gradu- ated in 1883 and from which he secured his degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar of his native state on his graduation and in 1883 he took up his residence in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, where he engaged in the practice of his profession, in partner- ship association with William Foulke, under the firm name of Foulke & Sprague. He re- mained in Minnesota's capital city until 1885 and there his professional novitiate was marked by distinctive success. In the year last men- tioned he came to Detroit, where he continued the practice of his profession in an individual way. In 1887 he formed a partnership with Charles H. Carey, under the firm name of Sprague & Carey, and this alliance obtained until the fall of 1888, when Mr. Carey removed to Portland, Oregon. In his law practice there- after Mr. Sprague was alone, and he gained much prestige and success, having a represen- tative clientage and appearing in connection with important litigations in both the state and federal courts. Owing to the exactions of other interests he has given but little attention to active practice since 1902.

In 1889 Mr. Sprague organized the Col- lector Publishing Company (afterwards the Sprague Publishing Company), which was incorporated under the laws of the state, with officers as here noted: William C. Sprague, president; Griffith O. Ellis, vice-president ; and Jacob Cotner, Jr., secretary and treasurer. Ow-

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ing to impaired health Mr. Sprague retired from the presidency of the company in the autumn of 1908, and was succeeded by Griffith O. Ellis. He retains, however, the office of chairman of the directorate. The company now affords employment to fifty persons, in the handling of its editorial and business affairs. The publications of the company are princi- pally those pertinent to the legal profession, one of the periodicals being "The American Legal News," which is issued monthly. This was founded in 1889 and has a circulation in practically all English-speaking countries. In 1893 Mr. Sprague also established the "Law Students' Helper," which is published each month and which likewise has a wide circula- tion. Both of these journals are under the direct supervision of Mr. Sprague and are maintained at a high standard, both technical and literary. In 1900 Mr. Sprague founded the "American Boy," and this popular monthly also is published by the Sprague Publishing Company, having attained in seven years one hundred and twenty-five thousand subscribers. Mr. Sprague is a trustee of Kalamazoo College and also of the Michigan Military Academy.

Mr. Sprague is a writer of much versatility and has done much in a literary way, aside from his work along professional and educa- tional lines. He is the author of an abridge- ment of Blackstone's Commentaries, and the work has met with a most favorable reception, not only on the part of law students but also upon that of leading practitioners. Among others of his published books may be noted the following: "Eloquence and Repartee in the American Congress," "Flashes of Wit from the Bench and Bar," and "After Dinner Speeches." He was the founder of the "Na- tional Bankruptcy News and Reporter," which he disposed of in 1897. In 1895 he published a valuable work, entitled "How to Write," a guide for literary workers. He has also writ- ten a number of novels and books for boys, having ever taken a deep interest in the youth of the country and having himself the spirit of perennial boyhood, which the cares and ex-

actions of a singularly active business and pro- fessional life have proved impotent to elimi- nate. Mr. Sprague was one of the prime fac- tors in effecting the organization of the Com- mercial Law League of America, of which he was the first president, and he also served six years as chairman of its executive com- mittee. He was the first president of the Ohio Society of Detroit and takes a lively interest in its affairs. In politics Mr. Sprague gives a stanch allegiance to the Republican party and he is admirably fortified in knowledge of the questions and issues of the hour and in that of basic political and civic economics. He is a member of the Woodward Avenue Baptist church, and has been active and zealous in the various departments of the church work. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, being identified with both the York and Scottish Rite bodies. He is a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce and chairman of its enter- tainment committee, and is also a member of the Detroit Club.

On the 24th of June, 1885, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Sprague to Miss Caroline Ellis, daughter of Griffith Ellis, a prominent citizen of Urbana, Ohio, and the children of the union are William Griffith and Marian Silvey Sprague. Mr. Sprague has a beauti- ful summer home, "Twynwood," at Grosse Ile. His city residence is the Woodward Apartments, Detroit.

TRAUGOTT SCHMIDT.

The great empire of Germany has contrib- uted a most valuable element to the cosmopoli- tan social fabric of our American republic, which has had much to gain and nothing to lose from this source. Among those of German birth and ancestry who have attained to success and precedence in connection with business affairs in Detroit was the late Traugott Schmidt, who was a citizen of sterling character, honored by all who knew him and influential in both civic and commercial life.

Mr. Schmidt was born in the province of

Frangoflucht

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Reuss, Germany, in the year 1830, and was a son of Carl C. and Susanna ( Plarre) Schmidt, who likewise were natives of the same prov- ince, where they passed their entire lives. There the Schmidt family had been engaged in the tanning business for more than twelve gen- erations, and the family was founded in the province of Reuss in the fourteenth century of the Christian era, the original orthography of the name having been Czemicz.

The subject of this memoir was afforded the advantages of the excellent schools of his native land but early began to acquire experience in connection with the practical duties of life. As a boy and youth he learned the tanner's trade in his father's establishment, where he remained until he had attained to the age of nineteen years, when, in 1849, he came to America, as he had become convinced that here were offered superior opportunities for the achieving of success through personal effort along normal lines of enterprise. After pass- ing one year in the city of Baltimore, Mary- land, Mr. Schmidt came to Michigan and took up his residence in Flint, where he started a small tannery. Six months later, however, he came to Detroit, to accept a position in the employ of Gottlieb Beck, who was then one of the most influential German citizens of the Michigan metropolis.

In 1853 Mr. Schmidt engaged in business for himself, and thereafter his career was one of consecutive advancement, while he so ordered his course as to retain at each stage of progress the unqualified confidence and esteem of his fellow men. In short, an honorable, straightforward, energetic and successful busi- ness career is what stands to the lasting credit of this well known citizen, who passed from the scene of life's mortal endeavors in the full- ness of years and well earned honors. In the years last mentioned Mr. Schmidt established himself in a modest business, locating on Mon- roe avenue, between Beaubien and Antoine streets, and from this small concern he built up one of the most extensive business enter- prises of the sort in the middle west. In the early days his operations were largely con-

fined to dealing in deer skins, and in time he secured agents throughout the northwest and bought upon an extensive scale, shipping his products principally to Germany. For a num- ber of years he was also a heavy buyer and shipper of wool, as well as holding distinctive prestige as a fur merchant. As his business increased in scope he made good use of his op- portunities and showed his determinate busi- ness acumen by establishing a branch house in Gera, Germany. For many years he visited his native land annually, and he maintained personal supervision of his branch house in Gera.

Mr. Schmidt's early experiences as a buyer of hides and furs were of a sort that gave him a full appreciation of the life of the pioneer. During his earlier business career in Detroit he traveled along the entire lake shore from this city to Saginaw bay, and even made his way across Lake Michigan into Wisconsin, traveling when possible with a horse and wagon and buying from the various Indian tribes. He gained the good will of the red men and their confidence in him was an element of no slight importance in furthering his suc- cess in the earlier stages of his independent business operations. Mr. Schmidt was among the first to come to an appreciation of what Detroit's future might be, and he showed the courage of his convictions by making judicious investments in city realty. He erected the Val- pey block, on Woodward avenue, and the Schmidt block, on Monroe avenue. The latter was finally destroyed by fire, but he erected other business buildings and also numerous dwelling houses in the city. From the gradual appreciation in the value of Detroit real estate he reaped large financial returns.

Mr. Schmidt was one of the organizers and incorporators of the Wayne County Savings Bank, of which he was a trustee for a number of years, but he finally disposed of his stock in this institution. In politics he was a stalwart in the camp of the Republican party, and he was a zealous supporter of the cause of the Union during the civil war. As a citizen he was loyal and public-spirited, and he was well

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known and distinctively popular in the city in which he so long maintained his home. He died on the 17th of May, 1897, on the steamer "Trave," while en route home from Germany. He was identified with the Germania Bowling Club and the Harmonie Society.

In 1856 Mr. Schmidt was united in marriage to Miss Wilhelmina Beck, daughter of Gottlieb Beck, of Detroit, and she passed away in 1863. She is survived by two children,- Carl E., and Miss Ida W., who still reside in Detroit. For his second wife Mr. Schmidt married Miss Mary R. Beck, a sister of his first wife, and she survives him, as do also their four children,-Edward J., of Detroit; Clara, the wife of Hugo Scherer; Alma L., the wife of William Hoffman, of Leipzig, Ger- many ; and Albert H., of this city.

The business so long ago established by the honored subject of this memoir is still con- tinued. In 1889 the business was incorporated, with a capital stock of two hundred thousand dollars, and Traugott Schmidt remained presi- dent of the company until his death.

FRANK T. LODGE.

Recognized as one of the representative members of the bar of the state of Michigan and controlling a large and important prac- tice, Mr. Lodge has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in Detroit for nearly a quarter of a century. He was born in Madison, Indiana, and is a son of John J. Lodge, who was for many years a success- ful merchant and influential citizen of that place and who passed the closing years of his life in Detroit, where he lived virtually retired from all business pursuits.

Mr. Lodge was afforded the advantages of the public schools of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was graduated in the High School as a member of the class of 1876. Shortly after leaving school, Mr. Lodge began the reading of law in the office and under the pre- ceptorship of the firm of Porter, Harrison & Fishback, of Indianapolis, and in 1878, when Mr. Porter, of this firm, was appointed First

Comptroller of the United States Treasury, the subject of this review became his confiden- tial clerk. He retained this incumbency until the following year, when he was given official preferment as a Treasury Expert Accountant in Cincinnati. Of this position he continued in tenure until 1880, when his former preceptor, Hon. Albert G. Porter, was elected Governor of Indiana, and he was tendered the position of private secretary to the chief executive. He declined this appointment, however, and short- ly afterward became confidential law clerk of Judge William Lawrence, who succeeded Mr. Porter as First Comptroller of the United States Treasury. From that time forward un- til 1881 Mr. Lodge represented the First Comptroller's office before the different com- mittees of congress and the various executive offices. In the year last mentioned he was sent to Kansas as the representative of Judge Law- rence and Jeremiah S. Black to effect an ad- justment of the troubles with the railroad com- panies in connection with the Osage Indian ceded land case, and he handled this important matter with marked discrimination and abil- ity. In the autumn of the same year he was matriculated in Indiana Asbury University, now known as De Pauw University, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1884, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts and gaining first honors in modern languages. In his senior year, owing to the absence of the regular incumbent of the office, he was called to the chair of modern languages in his alma mater, and in 1887 this institution conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts.

In 1885 Mr. Lodge was admitted to the bar of the state of Michigan, and in the fol- lowing year he established himself in the prac- tice of his profession in Detroit, where his suc- cess has been cumulative from the start,-rep- resenting, as it does, his devotion to and ap- preciation of the dignity of his profession, and his thorough knowledge of the science of juris- prudence. He has demonstrated his powers as a strong and versatile trial lawyer, having been concerned with much important litigation

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in state and federal courts, and is and has been the representative of many large corporations, incidental to which he has been identified with the promotion and executive affairs of various railroad and street-railway enterprises and in- dustrial corporations. From 1893 to 1895, as attorney for the receiver, he had control of the operation of the Owosso & Corunna street rail- way, and he effected a reorganization of the company and the re-equipment of the road, whose interests he ably represented in various litigations. In 1894 Mr. Lodge was appointed to the professorship of Medical Jurisprudence in the Michigan College of Medicine & Sur- gery, and he retained this chair until 1906, when exactions of his private practice required his resignation. He has made a specialty of medico-legal, corporation and insurance law, and in these fields of professional work he is a recognized authority and has been eminently successful. He is now Medico-Legal Expert for the city of Detroit, his duty being to handle the medical evidence in the numerous personal injury suits against the city.

In politics Mr. Lodge is aligned as a stal- wart advocate of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, and for many years past his services have been in demand as a campaign speaker,-a province in which he has done most effective work. He is prominently identified with the Masonic fra- ternity and in 1899 served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan. From 1903 to 1907 he served as Grand Lecturer of the Grand Lodge, his field being the entire state of Michi- gan. He is also a thirty-third degree Mason and Commander-in-Chief of Michigan Sover- eign Consistory, thirty-second degree. He holds membership in various professional organiza- tions, and is identified with the Wayne Club, the Fellowcraft Club and the Detroit Boat Club.

WILLIAM POST HOLLIDAY.

Success in any line of occupation, in any avenue of business, is not a matter of spon- taneity, but represents the result of the appli-

cation of definite subjective forces and the con- trolling of objective agencies in such a way as to achieve desired ends. Mr. Holliday has realized a large and substantial success in the business world and his career has well ex- emplified the truth of the foregoing statements. He occupies to-day a prominent place in the financial circles of the city of Detroit and is the controlling force in one of its important industrial enterprises. He has large capitalistic interests, distributed among various commer- cial, financial and industrial enterprises, and is one of the distinctively representative manu- facturers of the city. Progressive and ener- getic in the management of these varied af- fairs, loyal and public-spirited as a citizen, he holds a secure position in the confidence and esteem of the community and has contributed in large measure to the material advancement of the city in whose still greater commercial and civic prestige he is a firm believer. He is president of the Holliday Box Company, of which he was the founder, and of the Central Savings Bank of Detroit, both of which are mentioned on other pages of this volume. He is also president of the United States Board & Paper Company, of Carthage, Indiana, one of the most important concerns in its line of manufacture in the Union.

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Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 64

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932 Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co. Number of Pages: 858

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 858