USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. III > Part 5
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was a broad-minded man whose wide reading and research had made him an authority upon many ques- tions. He never measured any vital problem with the inch rule of self but rather by the broad standard of public opinion. Well descended and well bred, his life was that of a high-squled, large-minded man who contributed much to public progress and improve- ment during the long years of his residence in Detroit.
Mrs. Butler, who survives her husband, is a lady of natural refinement and culture who has never held the advantages of her wealth to herself but spreads their beneficent influence in every possible direction. She is constantly extending kindly help to the worthy and needy and her viewpoint concerning the lives of others has never been changed by the luxury which is hers. She is a sympathetic, whole-souled woman, a gracious hostess, a loyal friend, and it is society's fortune that she has been trusted with the means to lighten sorrow and give joy to others.
HOWARD WILLIAM LONGYEAR, M. D. Eminent as a medical educator as well as a successful physi- cian and surgeon, Dr. Howard W. Longyear remained for more than forty years an active and honored rep- resentative of the profession in Detroit. Practically his entire life was devoted to professional service for his fellowmen and the worth of his work was widely acknowledged. He became the first superintendent and house surgeon of Harper Hospital and throughout his remaining days his interest in the institution never faltered. Because of his eminent professional attain- ments, his broad sympathy and his kindly spirit he became "the beloved physician" in many a household in Detroit.
Dr. Longyear was a native son of Michigan, his birth having occurred in the capital city of Lansing, July 24, 1852. He was one of a family of four chil- dren, his father being Hon. John Wesley Longyear, distinguished jurist, member of congress, 1863-67, mem- ber of the state constitutional convention of 1867, and judge of the United States circuit court for the eastern district of Michigan, who, prior to his death, was spoken of in connection with the United States supreme court. The mother of Dr. Longyear bore the maiden name of Harriet Munro, daughter of Jesse and Harriet (Parker) Munro, and through the latter was a descendant in the sixth generation from William Munro, a crusader, of the clan of Munro, or Monroe, a Scottish covenantor who was captured by Cromwell at the battle of Worcester in 1652, and banished to America, as were many of the prisoners taken by Cromwell. Mrs. Longyear came to Michigan with her parents in 1836, the year it was admitted to the Union. Dr. Longyear had a brother, John M. Long- year, who is living in Marquette, Michigan, and a sister, Ida S., who also survives.
Liberal educational advantages were accorded Dr. Longyear, who in the attainment of his education attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
and then went east to become a student in Columbia University of New York. He won his M. D. degree upon graduation from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, as a member of the class of 1875, and later he went abroad, studying for two years in the most noted hospitals in Berlin and Vienna, while afterward he had the benefit of study and asso- ciation for about one year with Dr. Lawson Tait, a most eminent surgeon of Birmingham, England.
Returning to Detroit splendidly equipped for the duties of the profession, Dr. Longyear was appointed the first medical superintendent and house surgeon of Harper Hospital and continued in that position for three years, at the end of which time he turned his attention to general practice. He was active in that field for a long period and at the same time kept in touch with the work of the hospital and did much to stimulate its progress and improvement. In 1890 he gave up general practice to specialize in gynecology and abdominal surgery and five years later he was appointed to the chair of clinical gynecology in the Detroit College of Medicine, a post which he con- tinued to hold to the time of his demise. He was also consulting physician to the Woman's Hospital, consulting gynecologist to Providence Hospital and consulting surgeon to Harper Hospital. He held at all times to the highest professional standards and was in the vanguard of those who have ever stood for progress and improvement. He belonged to the Ameri- can Medical Association, to the Michigan State Med- ical Society, the American Surgical Society, the Ameri- can Gynecological Society and the Wayne County Medical Society. In the American Medical Association he was honored with the vice presidency, while for many years he served as an officer of the Michigan State Medical Society. He served at one time as president of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and was ex-chairman of the gyne- cological section of the American Medical Association. He was also a member of the Harper Hospital Alumni Association. He made various contributions to the lead- ing medical journals and his advice and opinion were frequently sought by his fellow members of the pro- fession. He was author of a monograph on "Nephro- cololoptosis" in which he propounded certain original factors in the etiology of nephroptosis and presented an original operation for cure of the displaced kidney and colon. This book is in demand abroad as well as in this country.
On the 7th of September, 1880, Dr. Longyear was united in marriage to Miss Abbie Scott of Chicago, a daughter of Hon. Ira Scott, an eminent lawyer of that city. Mr. Scott became a resident of Chicago in 1853 and spent nearly his entire life there and became a prominent figure in the early history of Chicago and Illinois. His hirth, however, occurred in Waterford, New York. In early manhood he was graduated from Harvard College and removing to the west he became a distinguished representative of the legal profession,
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HOWARD W. LONGYEAR
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which he followed in Chicago as well as in New York, thus becoming not only one of the notable lawyers but also one of the well knowu lawmakers of the country. Mr. Scott's mother, Laura Porter, belonged to the distinguished Moses Porter and Sarah Kil- ham families. Mrs. Lougyear is also a descendant, through her maternal grandmother, of the distin- guished Greene family of Rhode Island, the ancestor of whom was William Greene, surgeon, who came to America in 1635 and became a leading figure in the affairs of the New England colony. The Greene fam- ily in England was originally called DeGreene, the seat for many generations being at Northampshire. Sir Henry Greene of this family was lord chief of Eng- land and ancestor of Katherine Parr, the sixth and last queen of Henry VIII. Through many generations her ancestors had lived on this side of the Atlantic and were representatives of the colonial and Revolu- tionary wars, so that Mrs. Longyear is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars and also of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution. Dr. and Mrs. Long- year became the parents of three daughters: Esther is the wife of Dr. Theodore A. McGraw, Jr., a well known physician of Detroit, who was graduated from Columbia University of New York in 1902 and now maintains his office in the Shurley building, Detroit, and his residence at 8162 East Jefferson avenue. They have one son, Theodore A. MeGraw (III); Olga, the second daughter, died in 1889 at the age of four years; and Margaret Munro was united in marriage to W. Beresford Palmer, Jr., engaged in the manufacturing business, and they reside at No. 208 East Grand boule- vard. They are the parents of a son, Howard Longyear Palmer.
Dr. Longyear found his greatest diversion and pleas- ure in hunting and fishing and was one of the founders of the Huron Mountain Club, in which he served con- tinuously as an officer from 1892 until his demise. With the exception of the summer of 1920 he never failed to spend at least a part of the summer season at the club's headquarters. He belonged also to the Detroit Club, the Detroit Boat Club, the Detroit Coun- try Club, the Grosse Pointe Riding and Hunt Club, the Old Club of St. Clair Flats, the National Geographic Society and other organizations. For four years he was a member of the Detroit board of health. The entire aim and purpose of his life seemed to be service to his fellowmen in the path of his profession. To accomplish this he studied broadly, thought deeply and made his life a benefaction and a benediction. He passed away June 2, 1921, and his death was regarded as a great calamity to the medical profession in Mich- igan and this section of the country. No better esti- mate of the character and ability of Dr. Longyear can be given than by quoting the words of one who knew him long and well and who wrote of him: "There was never a finer example of perfect adjustment of man to vocation than furnished in the life of Dr. Howard W. Longyear. If ever one was predestined to the
profession of medicine it was he, who intuitively knew, and with whom to know was to act. Refined, cultured, of charming personality, gentle, unselfish and devoted, he inspired immediate confidence. He never spared himself, no personal ends were permitted to weigh against duty. No night was too dark, no journey too long, no weather conditions too unfavorable, no vigil too exhausting to hinder him in those ministrations which have brought comfort and health to thousands of his fellow mortals. He was an accomplished diag- nostician and a resourceful therapeutist. He was born into the service of afflicted humanity and conscien- tiously bore every burden which duty imposed, re- garding the performance of duty a privilege. He has distinctly advanced anatomical and surgical knowl- edge. He loved the out-of-doors and plants and trees, and the wild life of the woods and streams were objects of his constant interest and study. He was a fount of information upon these and kindred sub- jects. He was an indulgent teacher of the uninitiated. In friendships he was loyal and to know him was to love him. He was an ideal husband and father. As a citizen the public weal was with him an impelling consideration. His life was rich in usefulness and in death he leaves a fragrant memory. It must be that reward has come to him e'en as those who go about doing good can scarcely lack the compensation which comes from the consciousness of duty well per- formed. 'A good man has gone to his reward' and we who are left are thankful for knowing and loving him. He was indeed the beloved physician."
GEORGE A. DRAKE, president and general manager of George A. Drake & Company, is one of Detroit's representative business men. He was born at Nottawa, Michigan, September 22, 1879, a son of Alfred G. and Anna (Patrick) Drake. The father was a merchant, and his family consisted of four sons: Joseph R., J. Walter, George A. and Harry P.
George A. Drake was but a child when his parents removed to Kalkaska, Michigan, and later they became residents of Detroit, where he attended the public schools. He continued his education in the schools of Pontiac, where he made his home until 1898. In 1905 Mr. Drake became a partner of Leo J. Keena in the firm of Keena & Drake, dealers in office furniture and equipment. This partnership was maintained until 1909, when Mr. Keena retired, Mr. Drake acquiring his inter- est in the business and organizing the present corporation of George A. Drake & Company. The business of this company has enjoyed a remarkable growth and in com- plete office outfitting, stationery and kindred lines has become one of the most extensive in this section of the west. Mr. Drake has been the executive head of the busi- ness and largely responsible for the success and high standing it enjoys. His business career 3 been marked by continuous progress, and while his start in life was very modest, the utilization of his natural powers
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has brought him to a most creditable position among Detroit's best class of business men.
Mr. Drake was married in 1906 to Miss Mary Lucile Sawyer, of Pontiac, Michigan, and they have four chil- dren, namely: Joseph R. (II), George A., Jr., Thomas E. and Jane.
When leisure permits Mr. Drake turns to the outdoors for recreation. He is also identified with a number of the leading clubs, including the Detroit, Detroit Boat, Detroit Athletic, Detroit Golf, Ingleside and Bloomfield Hills Country Clubs. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, a fact indicative of his Revo- lutionary war ancestry. He also belongs to the Detroit Board of Commerce and those interests which have to do with the development and progress of the city and are matters of concern in its civic improvement always elicit his attention and receive his support. He is a member of St. Joseph 's Episcopal church.
IRA L. GRINNELL. Calm in demeanor, the quietude of deportment of Ira L. Grinnell would per- haps have indicated little to the casual observer con- cerning his dynamic force, but that he was a power in commercial circles is indicated in the unfolding of his life's story. He made his initial venture in the com- mercial world with a cash capital of but eighty dol- lars, which he had earned in the lumber camps and in teaching school. Today he is controlling a music trade that furnishes employment to a thousand people in various Michigan and Canadian towns, with its head- quarters and principal establishment in Detroit. The foundation of his success was work. His life was one of earnest and untiring labor, that brought him ulti- mately to a point of leadership in connection with the music trade of the middle west.
A native of New York, Mr. Grinnell was born in Niagara county, March 1, 1848, his parents being Ira and Betsy (Balcom) Grinnell. He had the advantage of educational training first in the common schools of Orleans county, New York, and later in an academy at Albion, New York, and still later continued his studies in Manchester, Michigan. An older sister, Lucretia, who married Charles Poucher, was the first of the family to locate in Michigan, after which Ira L. Grinnell came, and later, at different times the other members of the family also took up their home in this state. The parents passed away in New York, the father preceding the mother to the Home beyond by only a few weeks, in 1865. Ira L. Grinnell's early experiences were those of the farm bred boy and he earned his first money by working in the harvest fields through the summer months and in teaching school and working in the lumber camps through the winter season. Employment of that character enabled him to save eighty dollars and with that sum in his possession he went from the farm to Adrian, Mich- igan, where he visited a little shop in the village, where sewing machines were sold. The machine at that time was erude in design and workmanship, being
built to fasten to any table, power being furnished by a crank attached to the flywheel, which was pro- pelled by hand. The Adrian dealer retailed these ma- chines for eighteen dollars, but agreed to sell six to Mr. Grinnell for ten dollars each. When the deal was completed, with one of these machines under his arm Mr. Grinnell started on foot for the country, attempting to dispose of his purchase. The public had to be educated to the use and value of the sewing machine, for up to that time practically all sewing had been done by hand. The resolute character of the young man and his inherent qualities of salesman- ship were soon manifest, for in a comparatively short time he had disposed of all six machines, had dupli- cated his order and had continued to sell successfully throughout the surrounding country. Up to that time a man by the name of Hunt, living in Adrian, had had the monopoly of the sale of sewing machines in that part of the state and he regarded Mr. Grinnell as a competitor not to be feared. In fact he announced his determination to enter the field personally and put Mr. Grinnell out of business. The two men met in Macon, which was regarded as neutral territory, Mr. Hunt with broad experience back of him and the possessor of a fine team and a new wagon, while Mr. Grinnell's outfit was a most modest one. Arrayed against the older man's experience were the determi- nation and energy of the young man, in whose vocabu- lary there was no such word as fail, and the result of the contest was that Mr. Hunt withdrew, acknowledg- ing the superior salesmanship of his competitor.
After a time, however, Mr. Grinnell recognized the fact that he needed other territory in which to pro- mote his business and in 1866 removed to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he purchased the Singer sewing ma- chine agency and was several years later joined by his two brothers, Clayton A. and Herbert, who came to this state from New York. Their business in the university city developed rapidly and in 1882 they sought the still broader field offered in Detroit, taking over the agency of the White machine upon coming to this city. Their first location was at No. 218 Wood- ward avenue. Their trade rapidly developed, causing a removal to larger quarters in 1892, and there they soon outgrew their facilities for handling the trade, with the result that in 1907 the Grinnell block was erected, which is the firm's fourth location on Wood- ward avenue. The original partners were Ira L., H. B. and Clayton A. Grinnell, but about 1886 Herbert Grinnell retired from the firm, his brothers taking over his interest. While the development of the sewing machine trade had steadily continued they had in the meantime added to their stock a few organs and pianos and they soon found that their patronage in the line of musical instruments was steadily growing. It was this that decided them to open a music store, which they did in the front room of a little store on the present site of the Healey building on Woodward ave- nue. From that location the business was moved across
IRA L. GRINNELL
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the street and from there, in 1908, was removed to its present location, 243 to 247 Woodward avenue. From that humble beginning has been developed the largest business of the kind in the country, with twenty branch establishments covering Michigan, the Grand Rapids, Michigan, store doing in itself an immense business, three branches in Canada and one in Toledo, Ohio. While the trend of their business has ever been forward, not all days in their career have been equally bright. The establishment of an enterprise of this character requires earnest and self-denying effort on the part of the proprietors, with long hours and unfaltering industry and a watchfulness over every detail of the business, with a most careful computation as to expenditures and sales. No false standards were adopted, the firm ever recognizing the truth of the old adage that honesty is the best policy, and they built up not only an immense trade but an unassailable rep- utation for commercial integrity and elose conformity to the highest standards of commercial ethics. When they removed to their present quarters one of the largest piano manufacturers of the country predicted that they would never need the space, but the pre- diction has proven withont warrant. Today their em- ployes number more than one thousand and their sale of musical instruments and all kinds of musical mer- chandise covers a large section of the middle west. Their large factory at Holly, Michigan, is one of the best equipped piano plants in the country.
At Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1871, Mr. Grinnell was married to Miss Ellen Park, who died leaving two children: Elmer W. and Charles L. In 1893 he wedded Emma Lightfoot and they became parents of two danghters: Hazel M. and Gladys L.
Mr. Grinnell was a member of the Masonic fra- ternity and he was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, as is his wife. He belonged also to the Detroit Athletic Club, the Red Run Golf Club and the Automobile Country Club. His interest, however, centered in his family and in his business. He was always kindly and courteous and anyone meeting Mr. Grinnell face to face knew at ouce that he was an individual embodying all the elements of what in this country we term a square man-one in whom to have confidence, a dependable man in any relation and any emergency. His quietude of deportment, his easy dignity, his frankness and cordiality of address, with a total absence of anything sinister or anything to conceal, foretokened a man ready to meet any obli- gation of life with the confidence and courage that come of conscious personal ability, right conception of things and an habitual regard for what is best in the exercise of human activity. When he passed away on September 29, 1921, the community felt that it had suffered an irreparable loss, and hosts of friends deeply mourned his departure.
HON. CLYDE I. WEBSTER, judge of the circuit court of Wayne county, having been elected to that
office on the 2nd of April, 1917, for a six years' term, was born at Eaton Rapids, Michigan, August 10, 1877, a son of Hiram P. and Sarah J. (Piekard) Webster. The father was a native of the state of New York and became a prominent lumberman of Michigan, removing west when a young man. He established a retail hum- ber-yard at Eaton Rapids, where he resided for fifty- one years. His death occurred April 26, 1921. His wife was born in this state and survives. They had a family of three children, one of whom died in infancy, while the brother of Judge Webster is Harry Webster, a well known retail lumber merchant, president of the Webster Lumber Company of Detroit,
Judge Webster was a pupil in the public and high schools of Eaton Rapids, being graduated there with the class of 1895. He afterward entered the Univer- sity of Michigan, where he pursued a literary course and was graduated with the Bachelor of Philosophy degree with the class of 1899. He then entered upon the study of law in the State University and won his LL. B. degree in 1901. In the same year he became identified with the Detroit bar, entering the office of Dickinson, Warren & Warren and remaining with the snecessors of that firm, Diekinson, Stevenson, Cullen, Warren & Butzel. He was thus associated for three years, after which he decided to engage in practice on his own account and entered into partnership with Ward N. Choate of Detroit, with whom he was asso- ciated under the firm style of Choate & Webster until March, 1909. The admission of two partners then led to the adoption of the firm name of Choate, Web- ster, Robertson & Lehmann, which was continued until November 1, 1912, a large and lucrative practice being enjoyed by the firm during the intervening period. On the 6th of August, 1912, Mr. Webster was appointed United States district attorney by President William Howard Taft and for four years conducted that de- partment of government service in his distriet, retiring from the office in 1916, when he again took up the pri- vate practice of law and was thus engaged until ap- pointed by Governor Sleeper on November 6, 1917, to fill out the unexpired term of Judge Van Zile, judge of the circuit court, who had passed away. He filled this vacancy until January 1, 1918, when he entered upon his own six-year term, to which he had been elected in April, 1917. His record on the bench is in harmony with his record as a man and citizen-dis- tinguished by the utmost fidelity to duty and by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solu- tion. Moreover, aside from his law practice and judi- cial service, he has become a director of the American Loan & Trust Company of Detroit, also of the Detroit & Northern Michigan Building & Loan Association, of the Detroit Real Estate & Investment Com- pany, of the Commonwealth Realty & Trust Company and of the Webster Lumber Company of Detroit.
On the 4th of September, 1901, at Eaton Rapids, Michigan, Judge Webster was united in marriage to Miss Edith May Hughes, a daughter of Quincy A.
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and Ollie Hughes of that place. They have two sons: Clyde I., Jr., who was born in Detroit on March 18th, 1914; and Charles Hughes, born in Detroit, on August 29th, 1917.
Judge Webster has always been a stanch repub- lican and a very active worker in the ranks of the party, campaigning extensively in its behalf. He is a fluent and forceful speaker, convincing in ar- gument on the political platform, just as he was before the courts. He has become well known in various connections. He is a member of the Michi- gan State Bar Association, of the Bar Association of the City of Detroit, and of the Lawyers Club of Detroit. In Masonry he is a well known figure, belonging to Corinthian Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; King Cyrus Chapter, No. 133, R. A. M .; Monroe Council No. 1, R. & S. M .; Detroit Commandery, No. 1, K. T .; to Michigan Sovereign Consistory, and Mos- lem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, while the honorary thirty-third degree has also been conferred upon him. He likewise has membership with the Detroit Athletic Club, with the Fellowcraft Club and the Detroit Golf Club, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, his college fraternity, and the Recreation Club on the Au Sable River near Grayling, Michigan, and he is never happier than in recreation periods, when he makes his way to the open to become a follower of Nimrod.
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