USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. II > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92
S. B. Grummond's early life was passed in St. Clair county. Possessing a restless and ambitious nature, at the age of fifteen he began his business career by securing a position on a vessel engaged in lake navigation; but when navigation closed, spent the winters at school. At the age of twenty- one, with the savings from his own industry and a little aid from his father, he purchased a vessel and sailed her for several years. In 1855 he retired from the command, came to Detroit, bought another ves- sel, and has ever since been engaged in buying, selling and running vessels of various kinds. His business has extended from year to year, until at the present time he is one of the principal owners of lake ves- sels, and his line of boats is well known and largely patronized. He is the proprietor of Grum- mond's Mackinac Line of steamers, and does the largest tug and wrecking business on the lakes. His efforts have resulted in the accumulation of a large fortune, which is invested in Detroit real
L
1
1
1049
MAYORS.
estate and in various business enterprises. His dren, seven of whom are living, four girls and three success can be attributed to thorough mastery of boys. his business, practical experience in all its details, good judgment and judicious management.
Originally a member of the Democratic party, ever since the election of Abraham Lincoln he has been an earnest supporter of the Republican party. His connection with political affairs as a public officer has not been the result of any desire on his part for politi- cal honors. Official trusts have only been assumed upon the urgent request of friends, and when he honestly believed the public good would be advanced thereby. In 1879 he was elected a member of the Board of Estimates, and at the expiration of his term in 1881 was elected a member of the newly created City Council or Upper House for the long term. After two years'service in this capacity he was made without solicitation on his part, and even against his wishes, the unanimous choice of his party as its candidate for Mayor. He was successfully elec- ted, and during his term of office fulfilled the duties of the position in such a manner as to win the ap- proval of the best element of the city. A practical business man, his administration was marked by the same good sense and sound business principles which in his private career had ensured success. He used all his influence towards getting the city affairs into a sound financial condition, and against public clamor had the courage to veto measures he be- lieved against the public good ; the result in almost every case has proved that the course he favored was both wise and prudent. His administration met the approval of the people generally, regardless of party. Near the close of his term of office the Detroit Free Press, the leading Democratic paper in the State, said: "He has been in the main an excellent Mayor, and has discharged the duties of his office, as he understood them, with painstak- ing fidelity, entire honesty, and no greater display of partisanship than would be naturally expected of an official chosen by partisan vote." This, from a paper politically opposed to him, was praise indeed.
As a business man, Mr. Grummond's main power lies in the spirit of perseverance with which his plans are pursued. That his undertakings, both in public and private affairs, have been sagacious, is undeniable, and his success in various directions has vindicated his business foresight. He is inde- pendent and courageous, but modest and unassum- ing ; dislikes publicity, finds his chief enjoyment in the prosecution of his numerous business ventures, but is public spirited and progressive in his ideas, and readily gives his support to deserving public enterprises, and by his ability and integrity com- mands the confidence of his fellow citizens,
He was married December 12, 1861, to Louisa B. Prouty, of Detroit. They have had eleven chil-
M. H. CHAMBERLAIN was born in Wood- stock, Lenawee County, Michigan, November 5, 1842. His father, Philonzo Chamberlain, was born in New York State in 1804, and, at the age of eighty-four, is hale and hearty. Mr. Chamberlain is of the English family of Chamberlain, whose descendants came to America early in old colonial times. His great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and fought at Bunker Hill and on other bloody fields. The gun used by him at Bunker Hill is now in the possession of the family, who jealousy guard it as a memorial of great value.
Mr. Chamberlain's maternal ancestors came from Scotland. His mother was born in New York State in 1798 and died in Detroit, January 25th, 1884. Early in life she and her husband settled in Niagara County, New York, and in 1835 removed to Michi- gan, purchasing a farm in Lenawee County. Their. next home was in Litchfield, Hillsdale County, and in the spring of 1869 they located in Detroit.
M. H. Chamberlain is the youngest in a family of eight children, six boys and two girls, seven of whom are living. He attended a district school until about fifteen years of age. In the winter of 1859-60 he taught school in Lenawee County, and in the spring of 1860 entered Hillsdale College. Soon after leaving college he taught school in Oak- land County. In 1864 he came to Detroit, attended a commercial college until May, 1865, and then took a position in the office of F. A. Stokes, on the corner of Jefferson avenue and Wayne street. During the first year he was employed as book- keeper, and the year following as traveling salesman. In November, 1867, he, with his brother, Mr. A. H. Chamberlain, purchased Mr. Stokes' interest in the business, and the firm of M. H. Chamberlain & Co. was formed. Starting with comparatively small capital and only a few months' experience in the business, their success has been quite remarkable, and in their line they are among the leading firms in the country.
In the spring of 1873 the Chamberlains organized the Fearless Tobacco Company. Mr. M. H. Cham- berlain continued as a partner until March, 1876, when he sold his interest to his brother. In 1874 Mr. M. H. Chamberlain, with others, organized the Commercial Travelers' Association of Michigan, and he was elected its first president.
In 1882 he was elected to the City Council, and in 1885 was made president of that body. In the fall of 1885 he was elected Mayor of Detroit on the Democratic ticket by a majority of about eighteen hundred over the Republican nominee.
When a boy he was a recognized leader among
1050
MAYORS.
his playmates. At school he was always prominent in debate, is said to have been very fond of speech- making, and is possessed of a remarkable memory. He is agreeable, well-informed, tenacious in follow- ing out a purpose, and possessed of excellent judgment. These characteristics, with other ad- vantages, had naturally much to do with his election to the position of chief municipal officer of the city.
He was married to Miss Ellen Wilson, of Niagara County, New York, in 1876.
JOHN PRIDGEON, JR., was born at Detroit, August 1, 1852, and is the son of John and Emma (Nicholson) Pridgeon. His father is of English descent and has been for many years largely inter- ested in vessels of various kinds.
John Pridgeon, Jr., attended the public schools of
Detroit, and about 187 I was first employed as clerk on one of his father's boats, continuing in this posi- tion about five years.
From 1876 to 1879 he was agent at Port Huron of the Chicago and Grand Trunk line of steamers running between Chicago and Point Edward. When this line was discontinued he came to Detroit and has since been interested with his father in their ex- tensive business of buying, selling, and operating tugs, sailing vessels, and propellers
In 1885 he was elected a member of the City Council, serving two years, and in the fall of 1887 was elected Mayor of the city.
He was married in December, 1874, to Cora Edgar. She was born in Pittsburgh. They have had two sons, neither of whom are now living. His wife is a member of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church.
CHAPTER XCI.
GOVERNORS, SENATORS, BANKERS, AND CAPITALISTS.
RUSSELL A. ALGER, recently Governor of Michigan, was born in the township of Lafayette, Medina County, Ohio, February 27, 1836. On the paternal side the genealogy of the family can be traced through English channels to the time of William the Conqueror. . The earliest of the name in this country was John Alger, the great-grand- father of R. A. Alger. He served in the Revolu- tionary war and took part in many of its battles. Russell Alger, the father of R. A. Alger, married Caroline Moulton, a descendant of Robert Moulton, of England, who came to Massachusetts in 1627 in charge of a vessel laden with ship-building material and having a number of skilled carpenters as pas- sengers. It is probable that the first vessel built in Massachusetts was constructed by Mr. Moulton. Both in England and America the Moultons are numerous and many of them have attained distinc- tion.
The Alger family went to Ohio in 1800 and took a leading part in the development of that now great State. When he was eleven years old, the parents of R. A. Alger died, leaving dependent upon him a younger brother and sister. With a cheerful and . dan with two small regiments, the Second Iowa and heroic spirit, an important element in his after suc- cesses, he at once engaged in farm work, and during the greater part of the next seven years worked upon a farm in Richfield, Ohio, saving his money and applying it for the benefit of his brother and sister. In the winter, during the suspension of farm work, he improved his time by attending the Rich- field Academy, and by self-denial and hard work he obtained a good English education, and at the age of eighteen secured a position as a teacher, and taught school during the winter months for several years.
In March, 1857, he entered the office of Wolcott & Upson, at Akron, Ohio, and began the study of law, remaining until 1859, when he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Soon after- wards he removed to Cleveland and entered the law office of Otis & Coffinbury, remaining but a few months, and retiring in the fall of 1859 on account
of ill-health caused by hard study and close confine- ment. This retirement from the pursuits of a pro- fession which had proved uncongenial was final, as he soon after removed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he engaged in the lumber business. He had but fairly begun to obtain a foothold in business when the war with the South began, and in August, 1861, he responded to his country's call, and from the time of his enlistment until he left the service the record of his heroic military service is a record of honor. He first enlisted in the Second Michigan Cavalry, and in the autumn, when that regiment was mustered into service, he was commissioned as Captain and assigned to the command of Com- pany C.
His first important service occurred on July I, 1862, at the battle of Booneville, Mississippi. That engagement, which was one of the most important minor battles of the war and fought against tremen- dous odds, arose from an attack made by General Chalmers, of the Confederate service, with seven thousand mounted men-eleven regiments and por- tions of regiments-upon Colonel Philip H. Sheri-
the Second Michigan Cavalry. Sheridan's command from the start fought desperately. Seeing that he was outflanked and in danger of being surrounded, he sent ninety-two picked men, commanded by Captain Alger, with orders to make a circuit and charge the enemy upon the rear with sabers and cheers. The cheers were to be the signal for Sheri- dan to simultaneously charge the enemy in front. The brave ninety-two charged as ordered and Sheridan immediately dashed upon the front, and so well executed were the two movements that the Confederate forces broke and ran. One hundred and twenty-five of the enemy's killed were buried upon the field, and a large number of their wounded were carried away. The ninety-two sent on this forlorn hope lost forty-two killed and wounded. Captain Alger was both wounded and captured, but escaped in the confusion of the rebel stampede. For his gallant service in the battle he was pro-
[1051]
1052
GOVERNORS, SENATORS, BANKERS AND CAPITALISTS.
moted to the rank of Major, and it was in this bat- tle that Colonel Sheridan gained his earliest fame and was soon after promoted to the rank of Briga- dier-General.
Major Alger continued to merit the approval of his superior officers, and on October 16, 1862, was promoted to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Sixth Michigan Cavalry, and on June 2, 1863, to the Colonelcy of the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, his regi- ment being in General Custer's famous Michigan cavalry brigade.
On June 28, 1863, Colonel Alger's command entered the village of Gettysburg, being the first of the Federal forces to reach that place and receive definite information as to the movements of the enemy. In the great battle, then so little expected, which was fought at the very doors of Gettysburg, he with his regiment did most effective service. In General Custer's official report of the part taken by the cavalry at Gettysburg, the name of Colonel Alger frequently appears, and acknowledgment is made of the distinguished part he bore in the en- gagement. On July 4, 1863, during the pursuit of the enemy which followed the battle, Colonel Alger led the advance with the Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and when near Monterey, on the top of South Mountain, Maryland, with great daring and equally great confidence in his men, he dismounted, crossed a bridge guarded by more than 1,500 infantry, and succeeded in capturing the enemy's train, together with 1,500 prisoners.
On July 8, 1863, at the battle of Boonsboro, he was so severely wounded as to be unable to assume command of his regiment until the following Sep- tember. His subsequent famous charge with his regiment at Trevillian Station, Virginia, on June 1I, 1864, when with only three hundred men he cap- tured a large force of the enemy, is memorable as one of the most brilliant and daring deeds of the war. General Sheridan's report concerning this engagement, on file in the War Department, says :
.
" The cavalry engagement of the eleventh and twelfth was by far the most brilliant one of the present campaign. The enemy's loss was very heavy. My loss in captured will not exceed one hundred and sixty. They are principally from the Fifth Michi- gan Cavalry. This regiment, Colonel Russell A. Alger com- manding, gallantly charged down the Gordonville road, captur- ing 1,500 horses and about 800 prisoners, but were finally sur- rounded and had to give them up."
During the winter of 1863 and 1864 Colonel Alger was assigned to special service, reporting directly to President Lincoln, and while so engaged visited nearly every army in the field.
It was his fortune to serve in or command regi- ments better armed than most, and they were fre- quently engaged in fatiguing and perilous service. At first he served in the west and south, but from the invasion of Maryland by General Lee in 1863
until the day of his retirement, Colonel Alger was with the Army of the Potomac and in constant service except when disabled by wounds. His bri- gade accompanied General Sheridan to the Shenan- doah Valley in 1864, and served through that cam- paign. On September 20. 1864, he resigned on account of physical disability, and was honorably discharged, having during his period of service taken part in sixty-six battles and skirmishes. At the close of the war he was made Brevet Brigadier- General for gallant and meritorious services to rank from the battle of Trevillian Station, and on June II, 1865, he was made Brevet Major-General for gallant and meritorious services during the war.
When he returned from the field of strife he re- moved to Detroit, and in company with Franklin and Stephen Moore engaged in the lumber trade, deal- ing especially in long pine timber, and also in pine lands. After a few years the firm of Moore, Alger & Co. was succeeded by the firm of Moore & Alger and then by R. A. Alger & Co., which con- tinued until 1874, when the corporation of Alger, Smith & Co. was organized with General Alger as President. In these various business associations he has displayed remarkable ability, and the cor- poration of which he is the head has become the largest operator in pine timber in the world. The corporation own extensive tracts of pine lands in Alcona, Alger, Chippewa, and Schoolcraft counties in the Upper Peninsula, and on the Canadian shore of Lake Huron. In addition to the interests above named, General Alger is President of the Manis- tique Lumber Company, organized in 1882 with a capital of $3,000,000. He also has large investments in red wood lands in California and Washington Ter- ritory, and in the pine lands of Wisconsin and Louisiana, and is largely interested in an exten- sive cattle ranch in New Mexico, and is President of the company. He is President and the largest stockholder in the Detroit, Bay City & Alpena Railroad, and owns a large amount of stock in the Peninsular Car Company, the Detroit National and State Savings Banks, in which he is a Director ; he is also a stockholder in the Detroit Copper and Brass Rolling Mills, and in several other extensive corporations. Coming to Detroit at the close of the war, rich only in honors gained in fighting the bat- tles of his country, he entered the business world, and by his exceptional native abilities he long since gained a foremost place among the business men of Michigan. He is a man of strong will, resolute courage, great tenacity of purpose, a high order of financial generalship and rare administrative ability. When a course of action has been determined upon, he is self-reliant and trustful of his own judgment, and inspires others with perfect confidence in his capacity to accomplish what he undertakes. He is
Jan2 Badal
1053
GOVERNORS, SENATORS, BANKERS AND CAPITALISTS.
not discouraged or baffled even by the most formid- able obstacles, but is fertile in resources, prompt in action, energetic in execution and uniformly suc- cessful.
He has been a Republican ever since he reached his majority, and constantly active in the service of his party. Though possessed of a strong taste for politics, his time has been so completely engrossed by business responsibilities that until recent years he avoided the cares of office. He was a delegate to the Chicago Convention of 1884 that nominated Blaine and Logan, and in 1884 was elected Gover- nor of Michigan. His administration of state affairs was in all respects equally as successful as his management of his personal interests, and that is almost ideal. Keen, sagacious and penetrating, the business interests of the state were carefully guarded and all the charitable and educational in- stitutions fostered, protected and enlarged. Com- bining the practicalities of a thorough business man with the training of a lawyer and the experi- ence of a soldier, his state papers were models of clearness, simplicity and force. At the end of his term he laid aside the duties of his gubernatorial position, secure in the confidence of the people, whose good opinion he had so richly earned. In 1888 he was a leading candidate for the presidential nomination, and if he had been a resident of a really doubtful Republican State would probably have received the nomination.
In personal appearance General Alger is tall, slender in form, with an erect, dignified bearing. He is quick and incisive in speech, never brusque, but approachable, courteous and considerate toward all. He begets and retains warm friendships, and those who are numbered among his friends and confidantes are sure to be profited by his judgment and helpfulness. Although so deeply engrossed with business duties, he is a lover of books and a devoted patron of art, and is among the first to re- spond to deserving public enterprises. Possessed of a generous and sympathetic nature, he is ever atten- tive to the needs of those less fortunate than him- self, and does not wait for others, but seeks out opportunities for doing good, and thousands of people have reason to feel grateful for timely bene- factions received from him. In public life and in his private affairs his achievements, coupled with his irreproachable life, reflect credit upon the state and city of his adoption.
He was married in 1861 to Annette H. Henry, of Grand Rapids. Their family consists of three daughters and three sons.
JOHN JUDSON BAGLEY, formerly Governor of Michigan, was born at Medina, Orleans County, New York, July 24, 1832. He was a descendant of
the Bagley family who came from England early in the seventeenth century. His grandmother, Olive Judson, was a daughter of Captain Timothy Jud- son, a soldier of the Revolution. The Judsons were a prominent family in Connecticut, descended from an old English family in Yorkshire, who came to America in 1634 and first settled in Concord, Massachusetts. There were many ministers in the family, among them the Rev. Adoniram Judson, the noted foreign missionary. Mr. Bagley was also a direct descendant of Rev. Thomas Hooker, who came from Hertfordshire, England, and established the first church in Connecticut.
John Bagley, the father of Governor Bagley, was born in Durham, Greene County, New York. He established himself in business at Medina, but afterwards moved to Lockport. His wife was a native of Connecticut, a woman of education and refinement, with great strength and force of charac- ter. Both parents were devout and active members of the Episcopal Church. John was one of a family of eight children, and his mother intended to edu- cate him for the ministry ; but financial reverses came to the family, and they found what in those days was considered a fortune suddenly swept away. Michigan had recently been admitted as a State, and John's father, hoping to regain what he had lost, moved from Lockport to St. Joseph County, in this state, stopping a few months at Mottville, and then going to Constantine, and from there to Owosso, in Shiawassee County.
John J. Bagley attended school at Constantine, White Pigeon and Owosso. He began his business life in a country store in Constantine, and after the family moved to Owosso he was engaged as clerk in the firm of Dewey & Goodhue. In these coun- try stores everything was sold from calico to drugs, and here he received his early business training. The hours of work were early and late, but a little time could always be found for reading and study. When fourteen years of age he left Owosso and found employment in the tobacco store and factory of Isaac S. Miller, in Detroit.
In 1853, when twenty-one years of age, he estab- lished a manufactory of his own on Woodward avenue, below Jefferson, and started the well-known " Mayflower " brand of fine-cut chewing tobacco. As his business prospered he engaged in other important enterprises. He possessed wise fore- thought, good judgment, and keen perception, grasped great affairs and managed them with a skill that commanded confidence and success.
He was one of the organizers of the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company, and served as President from 1867 to 1872 ; was one of the orig- inal stockholders and for several years President of the Detroit Safe Company ; he was a corporator of
IO54
GOVERNORS, SENATORS, BANKERS AND CAPITALISTS.
the Wayne County Savings Bank, and one of the charter members of the American National Bank ; helped to organize the Merchants' and Manufac- turers' Exchange, and was actively interested in the creation of Woodmere Cemetery, and served as its first President.
Soon after he cast his first vote he was elected a member of the Board of Education from the Third Ward in the City of Detroit, and remained a mem- ber from 1855 to 1858. He served as a member of the Common Council in 1860 and 1861, and did much to secure the establishment of the Detroit House of Correction, and was one of its first Inspec- tors. As a member of the Council he recognized the necessity of a more thorough and efficient police system for the city. For him to see was to act, and he rested not till the plan which he drafted was a law, and the present metropolitan police system organized. He was one of the original Commis- sioners and remained on the Board from February 28, 1865, to August 24, 1872. In all public affairs he weighed carefully the opinions of others, formed his own convictions and followed them.
Long before he had attained his majority he was a pronounced Whig, although his father was a Democrat. He was an active Republican from the organization of the party, his name appearing among the signers to the call for the Convention which organized the Republican party, and he was one of the most zealous and efficient in the prelim- inary work of the organization. In 1868 he was made chairman of the Republican State Central Committee.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.