USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. III > Part 70
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Fred C. Bazley attended the public schools of Eng- land until he had completed the work of what is known as the sixth standard, and after coming to America he started out to provide for his own support by se- curing employment in Oswego, New York, in 1877. He worked along various lines and at different points in the state of New York for seven years. In 1884 he came to Detroit and secured a position in the book and stationery store of J. A. Roys. He afterward be- came connected with The Richmond & Backus Com-
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pany and was made purchasing agent of that concern. There he remained until 1911, when he became iden- tified with George A. Drake & Company, starting as purchasing agent and gradually working his way up- ward as his powers expanded and his ability was recognized, until he became the vice president of the company, in which capacity he is now serving. This company is an outfitter of high-class offices, handling the finest desks, steel filing cabinets and other office fixtures and furnishings. It also conducts a commer- cial and fancy printing business and bookbinding establishment. Its patronage is now an extensive one, making the business a profitable concern and its trade is steadily increasing.
On the 24th of May, 1888, Mr. Bazley was married to Miss Ida L. Peck, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morris M. Peck of Detroit. They have one child, Mrs. Evelyn M. Goudie, who was born and educated in Detroit and who has one child, Frederick David Goudie.
Mr. Bazley is a member of the Fellowcraft Athletic Club and also belongs to the National Union and to the Detroit Board of Commerce. His interests show him to be a well balanced man whose general activity is productive of substantial results, whether in the development of his business or in his support of projects and measures for the public good.
NOBLE THOMAS LAWSON, member of the well known law firm of Anderson, Wilcox, Lacy & Lawson and an able representative of the Detroit bar, was born in Windsor, in the province of Ontario, Canada, December 4, 1888, a son of Thomas M. and Elizabeth (Davey) Lawson, the former a native of Scotland and the latter of England. In childhood they were taken to Canada by their parents, who settled in Wood- stock, Ontario, in which city their marriage occurred. Later they removed to Windsor, Canada, where the father engaged in merchandising, his death there taking place in 1905. The mother survives and still makes her home in Windsor.
Noble T. Lawson attended the schools of his native city and following his graduation from the Windsor Collegiate Institute he entered the Detroit College of Law, from which he won the LL. B. degree upon his graduation with the class of 1910. In June of that year he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of the state and taking up his residence in Detroit, he continued to follow his profession alone for a time but in January, 1919, became a member of the firm of Anderson, Wilcox & Lacy, at which time the present style of Anderson, Wilcox, Lacy & Lawson was assumed. They occupy a high standing in professional circles of the city and their list of clients is an extensive one. Mr. Lawson is a capable lawyer, well informed in all branches of jurisprudence, and his ability is manifest in the logic of his deduc- tions and the clearness of his reasoning.
On the 22d of June, 1912, Mr. Lawson was united in marriage to Miss Florence Pollard and they have
become the parents of a son, Noble Thomas, Jr., who was born on the 17th of April, 1919. Mr. Lawson is a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce, whose plans and projects for the development of the industrial interests of the city receive his hearty co- operation, and he is also connected with the Credit Men's Association. He is likewise identified with the Fellowcraft Athletic Club, the Lawyers Club, Delta Theta Phi, a college fraternity, and the Detroit Bar Association. He is a wide-awake, alert and energetic young man, who is making good use of his time, his . talents and his opportunities and is winning his way steadily to the front in his profession.
FREDERIC GEORGE AUSTIN. In the field of in- dustrial and commercial activity Frederic George Austin is a prominent and outstanding figure, identified with various interests which constitute important ele- ments in the business development of Detroit, his native city. He was born August 1, 1867, of the marriage of Edmund and Anne (Spurway) Austin, who were of English birth, both being natives of London. They came to Detroit in 1851 and there re- sided until called to their final rest, the father passing away in 1905 and the mother in 1907.
Frederic G. Austin pursued his education in the public schools of Detroit and made his initial step in the business world as assistant bookkeeper in the retail hardware store of James L. Fisher in 1883. After three years he became bookkeeper in the Mer- chants and Manufacturers National Bank, occupying that position until some time in 1887, when he be- came connected with David Whitney, Jr., a most . prominent lumberman, who was also actively iden- tified with transportation and financial interests. Mr. Austin entered into intimate business relations with Mr. Whitney and following the latter's death joined the heirs in organizing the Whitney Realty Company, Ltd., in 1904. He became the general manager, treas- urer and one of the directors of the company and has so continued. His efforts, however, have not been confined to a single line as he has broadened the scope of his activities by entering into active asso- ciation with many other business interests of Detroit. In 1905 he became identified with the Standard Brass Works, of which he was elected secretary, and in the following year was chosen president, since remaining the active head of that enterprise. Since 1916 he has been the president of the Majestic Theatre Com- pany and he is also one of the directors and one of the vice presidents of the Industrial Morris Plan Bank.
At Lowell, Massachusetts, on the 27th of February, 1901, Mr. Austin was married to Miss Elizabeth Smith and they have become the parents of three daughters: Dorothy, Elizabeth and Anne. The family attend the Unitarian church and Mr. Austin is identified as well with various social organizations of the city, includ- ing the Detroit Athletic, the Yondotega, the Detroit, Country, the Detroit Boat and Oakland Hills Clubs,
NOBLE T. LAWSON
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and of the Detroit Athletic he was secretary from 1889 until 1892. He has always greatly enjoyed golf and fishing and to those pursuits turns for recreation. His political endorsement is given to the republican party, but with him American interests transcend par- tisanship. Throughout the period of the World war he was very active in the Red Cross work at Detroit and did everything in his power to uphold the inter- ests of the government and promote the welfare of the soldiers in camp and field. There have heen no un- usual or esoteric phases in his career, the simple weight of his character and ability carrying him into important business relations until he now controls large interests which feature prominently in the com- mercial and industrial history of Detroit.
HENRY F. GAGE, another of the younger group of progressive lawyers, engaged in the practice of law in Detroit, is a native of the great Empire state, born in Otsego county, New York, August 28, 1889, a son of Franklin and Ella (Clapper) Gage. The Gage family is an old American one. Franklin Gage's ancestors came from Pennsylvania to New York state, where Franklin was born and reared in Otsego county.
Henry F. Gage, the subject of this sketch, was edu- cated at the high school, Schenectady, New York, and later entered the Detroit College of Law, where he had a brilliant course and was graduated with the law class of 1912. Mr. Gage was admitted to the bar in 1912 and immediately began the practice of his profession, opening offices in the Butler building, Jan- uary 1, 1913. He gradually established a reliable and influential connection, and is now well on the way to expand further the scope of his legal business. He has a general law practice. In the early part of 1918 he moved his offices to the Union Trust building.
On May 8, 1915, Mr. Gage was united in marriage to Orene M. Miller, and they are the parents of one daughter, Susan Jane Gage. Mr. Gage is a member of the Delta Theta Phi, of Detroit College of Law. He gives a good citizen's attention to all matters calculated to advance the welfare of the community, but he has never been a seeker after political prefer- ment. He and his wife have a wide circle of friends in Detroit, where they exhibit a deep interest in the social and cultural activities, and where Mr. Gage is recognized as one of the most promising lawyers of the younger school now coming into prominence.
CARL WISNER, one of Detroit's representative business men and bankers, is now the secretary of the American Loan & Trust Company and formerly served as a state bank examiner of Michigan. His alertness and progressiveness have been an element in winning for Detroit her position as the fourth city in the Union. . He came to Michigan from Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred at Norristown, November 7, 1890, his parents being Edwin N. and Angeline (Zoller) Wisner, who were also natives of the Keystone state, where
they spent their lives. The father was there engaged in the manufacture of high grade tools ou his own account, conducting a successful business to the time of his demise. His widow still resides in Norristown and there they reared their family of five children, only two of whom are living, the brother being Harry Wisner, who still makes his home in Norristown.
Carl Wisner attended the public schools of his native city and after completing his high school course, con- tinued his studies in Murphysburgh Academy, from which he was graduated in 1908. He next entered Princeton University, but owing to the death of his father he left college after about six months' study. For a time he was employed and then resumed his education as a pupil in the Temple University of Phil- adelphia, Pennsylvania, where he pursued a general law course, covering three and a half years. On the expiration of that period he became an employe of the Montgomery Trust Company of Norristown, Penn- sylvania, with which he remained for six years, hut feeling that future prospects were not such as he desired he decided to seek a larger city, where broader opportunities were open. It was his desire to develop his ability to the highest degree possible and after reviewing the advantages of a number of the leading cities of the country, including Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toledo, and after spending a number of days in the library at Norristown and reading up on the history of these cities, he decided to make Detroit his future home on account of the many advantages which it possessed over those offered by other cities. He had not a single acquaintance here when he arrived. After registering at the Pon- chartrain hotel he walked out on the street for the purpose of acquainting himself with the town. Sev- eral days were spent in familiarizing himself with the downtown section of Detroit and then he started out to find employment. Entering the Security Trust Company he immediately secured a position, which he continued to fill for a year. His work there was so thorough and satisfactory that he attracted the at- tention of Frank Merrick, commissioner of the banking department, and this led to his appointment as a state bank examiner, a position which he efficiently filled for two years. On the expiration of that period he became connected with the American Loan & Trust Company in a clerical capacity and since the 1st of January, 1919, he has held the position of secretary with this company. An important feature of the busi- ness has been the opening and maintaining of a school for its employes, who between four and five-thirty in the afternoon gather in the director's room for in- struction in banking, accounting, money and finance. Particular emphasis has heen put upon foreign ex- change and the financial aspects of foreign trade and the instruction is being given by Mr. Wisner, who has had valuable experience in trust company work. The scope of instruction includes collateral loans, relation of furniture and fixture account in a bank
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statement to profit and loss account, showing the con- flict between depreciation requirements of the federal and state authorities; capital, surplus and undivided profits accounts; and trust accounts. The instruction in the latter covers six lectures on duties, as adminis- trator, executor, guardian, ward, registrar and trans- fer of stocks. It is the intention of the Trust Com- pany to develop talent and ability within its own clerical force for the more important offices of the company. Mr. Wisner is also the secretary of the Michigan Investment Company, secretary of the Puri- tan Land Company and has other business interests which establish him in an enviable position as a prominent representative of financial affairs in Detroit.
On the 9th of October, 1910, Mr.' Wisner was mar- ried to Miss Thelma Cassidy of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, daughter of Thomas A. and Gertrude Cassidy of Germantown, Pennsylvania. They have become par- ents of two children: Doris N., born in Detroit, in 1915; and Jean, born in 1920. Mr. Wisner maintains connections with the Masonic fraternity and in politics is an independent democrat. He belongs to the Detroit Board of Commerce and to the Bankers' Club of De- troit and he stands for all those progressive elements which feature in the city's welfare and which are factors in individual success.
OSCAR B. MARX. Retiring from the office of mayor after six years' service as the chief executive of Detroit, Oscar B. Marx left many civic improve- ments as monuments to his publie spirit and devoted support of high municipal standards. His life record stands in contradistinction to the old adage that a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, for Mr. Marx is a native son of the city which repeat- edly honored him with election to its highest office. He was born in Detroit, July 14, 1866, a son of Stephen and Eleanore (Busch) Marx, both of whom were natives of Germany, the former born in Baden and the latter in Saxony. The father passed away about eighteen years ago, but the mother is still living at the remarkable old age of ninety-one.
Oscar B. Marx pursued his education in the public schools of Detroit and in the German American Sem- inary. His youthful days were largely spent in as- sisting his father on the farm and in the dairy until he reached the age of twenty-five, when he became a factor in the commercial circles of Detroit by enter- ing the employ of the Michigan Optical Company in 1891. Through the intervening period of twenty-nine years he has been identified with this concern and, working his way steadily upward, he was elected to the presidency in 1902. His business activities and connection have also broadened along other lines and he is a member of the board of directors of the Stand- ard Computing Scale Company and vice president of the Robert Oakman Land Company.
On the 4th of February, 1897, Mr. Marx was mar- ried to Miss Lydia Darmstaetter of Detroit, and they
have become the parents of a daughter and a son: Emma, and Oscar B., Jr. In the club circles of the city Mr. Marx is a prominent and well known figure, belonging to the Harmonie, Turners, Detroit Yacht, Detroit Athletic and Auto Clubs and also to the Essex Country Club of Canada. It has been through his public service, however, that Mr. Marx has become most widely known. In 1894-5 he filled the position of estimator-at-large and in the latter year was elected alderman from the fifteenth ward and was continued in that position for eight consecutive years, during which he exercised his official prerogatives in support of many well devised plans and measures for the general good. In 1910 he was elected city assessor, filling the office until 1913, and on the 7th of November, 1912, he was elected mayor, reelection continuing him in the position until 1918. His admin- istration was that of a wide-awake and progressive business man who is alert to the needs of the city, its opportunities and its demands. He introduced many civic improvements commensurate with the growth and development of Detroit and proved himself a most diligent and painstaking municipal executive. His high idealism found expression in practical methods and he left the office with the endorsement of the most progressive and public-spirited residents of Detroit.
FRANCIS W. LAWRENCE. In business circles of Detroit Francis W. Lawrence is known as a repre- sentative of the A. O. Smith Corporation and the Briggs & Stratton Company, manufacturers of auto- mobile parts. He has been a resident of the city since 1908. He is alert, energetic and progressive and in the capable conduct of his business interests has at- tained a substantial measure of success.
Mr. Lawrence is a native of Wisconsin. He was born in Sheboygan, November 6, 1874, a son of Fran- cis and Martha (Lewis) Lawrence. After completing his public school education he became a student in the University of Wisconsin and subsequently engaged in educational work, teaching hydraulic engineering in the University of Wisconsin during 1906-07. In June, 1907, he became identified with the A. O. Smith Cor- poration, extensively engaged in the manufacture of automobile frames, and acted as their sales agent in Detroit until 1911, in which year he also associated himself with the Briggs & Stratton Company. In all business transactions he has displayed strict honesty and integrity and has therefore gained the confidence of those who have had dealings with him.
On the 19th of May, 1911, Mr. Lawrence was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Woock of Baraboo, Wis- consin, and they have become the parents of two children: Mabel Grace, whose birth occurred on the 14th of March, 1912; and Frances Marie, born No- vember 3, 1916.
In his political views Mr. Lawrence is a republican and fraternally he is identified with the Masons, be-
OSCAR B. MARX
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longing to the Consistory and to Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, while the nature of his recreation is indicated in his membership in the Bloomfield Hills and Red Run Golf Clubs and the Detroit Athletic Club. He is a man of high principles and substantial qual- ities, progressive and reliable in business and loyal in citizenship and he is held in high esteem by a large circle of friends.
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WILLIAM E. REILLY, at the head of the bond and investment business of Detroit, conducted under the firm name of W. E. Reilly & Company, was born Octo- ber 10, 1858, in the city in which he still makes his home, his parents being Alexander and Jane (Beattie) Reilly. He obtained a public school education, sup- plemented by a course in a business college, and started out in business life as cashier and bookkeeper for the firm of Black & Owen, with whom he remained from 1880 until 1882. In the latter year he was made assistant general bookkeeper in the Merchants and Manufacturers National Bank of Detroit and in the following year was advanced to the position of gen- eral bookkeeper, serving in that capacity until 1887, when he was promoted to assistant cashier and so served until 1894. In the latter year the bank was merged with the Preston National Bank and Mr. Reilly resigned his position. He then entered the bro- kerage business as senior partner in the firm of Reilly & Noble and in July, 1897, he was elected cashier of the Detroit River Savings Bank, thus returning to active connection with the banking business. He filled that position until January 1, 1904, when he resigned and became the head of the firm of W. E. Reilly & Company, bond and investment brokers. They handle only securities of established value and have secured a large clientele, who recognize the safety and worth of the investments which they make and the securities which they carry. They are members of the Detroit Stock Exchange.
On the 21st of April, 1887, was celebrated the mar- riage of William E. Reilly and Miss Carolyn L. Bige- low. They are the parents of a son and a daughter: Raymond W. and Leila E. The son was educated at Harvard University, completing his course in 1912, and for five years thereafter was secretary of the Detroit Stock Exchange. In May, 1918, he joined the army as a private and was made sergeant at Division Headquarters in France, where he remained until discharged on the 23d of July, 1919. He is a member of the firm of W. E. Reilly & Company and he has membership in the Detroit Athletic Club, the Detroit Boat Club and the Harvard Club of Michigan. In June, 1920, Raymond W. Reilly was united in mar- riage to Carolyn H. Lewis of Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Reilly's club relations are with the Detroit Bankers, the Detroit Boat and Detroit Athletic Clubs. His religious faith is that of the Congregational church and he is interested in all those forces which make for the uplift of the individual and the benefit
of the community. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and his interest in community welfare is further shown in his connection with the Detroit Board of Commerce.
JOSEPH H. KIRBY was born in Grand Haven, Michigan, June 21, 1880, and is a son of Thomas Waters Kirby and Mary Ellen (O'Brien) Kirby. His father established a shipyard and drydock in Grand Haven in 1857 and built and operated a barge fleet of steamboats and sailing vessels on the Great Lakes until his death in 1896.
His mother still lives at Grand Haven, as does his brother, Thomas E. and his sister, Mary W. Maurice S. lives in Chicago and Edward P. in Detroit. Joseph H. Kirby was educated in the public schools of Grand Haven and the University of Michigan, graduating in the class of 1902. On September 4, 1912, he mar- ried Katherine Claire Sullivan of Grand Rapids, Mich- igan, a daughter of Henry Sullivan and Katherine (O'Connor) Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan is an official of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kirby: Mary Katherine, Margaret Elizabeth, Elizabeth Ann and Josephine Claire.
Mr. Kirby is a republican, a member of the Cath- olic church, a Knight of Columbus, member of the University of Michigan Club and of the Detroit Board of Commerce. He operates in real estate investments, which include apartment houses, store properties and the development of land for subdivision purposes. He has been active in this field since his arrival in Detroit in 1909. During the seven-year interval be- tween graduation and his arrival in Detroit, he man- aged the firm of T. W. Kirby's Sons, whose business consisted principally of fire insurance, retail coal and marine dockage.
JAMES HOUSTON BAYNE, a Detroit lawyer in whose life adherence to high American ideals and loy- alty in all matters of citizenship have been domi- nant qualities, was born in Halton county, Ontario, Canada, June 2, 1861. He is a son of William and Jane (Gilmore) Bayne, the former a native of Perth- shire, Scotland, and the latter of Wexford county, Ireland. The spirit which has ever dominated him as a citizen is a result of that union of interests and nationalities which comes out of the Great American melting pot. He was educated in the public schools of Ontario, also having the benefit of instruction from private teachers, and he afterward pursued a course through the direction of the Sprague Correspondence School of Law. Later he spent three years as a student in the Detroit College of Law, from which he was graduated with the class of April, 1899. He im- mediately opened an office in his adopted city and through the intervening period of twenty-one years has been a practitioner at the Detroit bar. At the outset of his career he recognized the eternal prin- ciple that industry wins and that industry is just
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as essential in law practice as it is in industrial or commercial circles. Throughout his connection with the bar therefore he has been an assiduous student, most thorough and unrelaxing in his preparation of cases, and the strength of his arguments and his correct application of legal principles constitute the basis of his success.
In March, 1890, Mr. Bayne was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Carson, who passed away in 1895, leaving three children: William Wallace, born De- cember 26, 1890; James C., who was born in March, 1892, and who served with the United States army in France as a sergeant of the Three Hundred and Sev- enth Transport Corps and was overseas from October, 1918, until July 15, 1919; the youngest child of Mr. Bayne's first marriage is Jean Gilmore. Following the death of his first wife Mr. Bayne was married in October, 1897, to Margaret S. Wood, of Bradford, On- tario, and their children are, Frances A. and Margaret Elizabeth.
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