USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. IV > Part 53
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He was born April 20, 1884, in Vinberg, Halland, Sweden, but while still a youth, elected to live his life in America. The first night in this country he
slept in the open, for he had only eight dollars in his pocket and he had his way to make. He learned the trade of carriage body builder and the intensity with which he pursued his occupation is indicated by the fact that he built the first aluminum body for an automobile in this country in 1903. He also gave his attention to his edueation, as well as gaining practical experience, so he took a course in the Mechanical Institute, New York eity, and was graduated in the elass of 1908. He studied designing assiduously and became an expert in body building. His designing work led him into invention and he invented and took out patents on hinges, and theu went into the manufacturing of automobile hinges and locks.
Having settled in Detroit he organized and incor- porated the Parsons Manufacturing Company in 1914, and has been chief executive of the corporation since its inception. Outside of his business Mr. Parsons takes a wide interest in public affairs, and every worthy project or movement has his approval and support. His integrity and ability are recognized in his appointment to the office of vice counsel for the state of Michigan for Sweden, which office he still retains.
In 1911 Mr. Parsons married Miss Edith Charlotte Thoren of Chicago and they have a family of three children: John Thoren, Heury Carl and Ruth Sigrid. He and his family are associated with the Swedish Lutheran church. In polities he is a republican.
Mr. Parsons was made a Mason in King Oscar Lodge, No. 855, at Chicago, and became a Knights Templar at the age of twenty-three, affiliating with Damascus Commandery, No. 42, at Detroit. He has also attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, Oriental Consistory, Chicago, and is a member of Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Chicago.
During the World war Mr. Parsons made fine parts for Liberty motors and shipped them to all plants, making these motors for the United States government.
WILLIAM H. McBRYAN. Insurance interests of Detroit find a prominent representative in William H. MeBryan. He was born in the township of Bosan- quet, Lambton county, Ontario, Canada, January 4, 1871, and is a son of Henry and Christena MeBryan. He pursued bis education in the common and high schools and following the completion of a law course was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1897. He en- gaged in the practice of his profession for four years, or until 1891, when he turned his attention to the insurance business, representing the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company and the Maryland Motor Car Insurance Company, both of Baltimore, Maryland, as general agent at Detroit for the past twenty years. He has made a careful and thorough study of surety bonds and casualty insurance, gaining a comprehensive knowledge of the business, and is ever seeking to develop the interests of the companies which he represents. In his dealings he is known to
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be progressive and reliable and well regarded by his fellow citizens.
In June, 1893, Mr. MeBryan was united in marriage to Miss Letitia C. Swann. He is a democrat and an Episcopalian. His clubs are: Detroit Athletic Club, Bloomfield Hills Country Club and Detroit Curling Club. He is also a member of the Detroit Board of Commerce and the Detroit Association of Credit Men. He has always stood for progress and improvement in affairs relating to the upbuilding of town, county and commonwealth, and he ranks with the public-spir- ited citizens and progressive business men of Detroit.
FREDERICK CHRISTOPHER STOEPEL, in whose business career the qualities of enterprise and pro- gressiveness balanced up with the principles of in- tegrity and reliability, figured for an extended period as one of the representative business men of the city, especially prominent in wholesale circles. He was born at Schloss-Heldrungen, near Erfurt, Saxony, Ger- many, on the 3d of June, 1846, being a son of William and Catherine (Koehler) Stoepel, also residents of Schloss-Heldrungen, where the family seat had been maintained for four hundred years or more. They came to the United States about 1852 and located in Detroit the following year. Here he and his wife re- sided until called to their final rest, his death occur- ring in 1894, while his widow survived until 1898.
Frederick C. Stoepel was a young lad of about six years when he was brought by his parents to the United States. He pursued his education in the public schools of Detroit to the age of thirteen and then put aside his textbooks in order that he might provide for his own support as a factor in the business world. His initial experience came to him in connection with the dry goods trade of Campbell & Linn and later he accepted a clerkship with the firm of Allen, Sheldon & Company, proprietors of a wholesale dry goods house, for whom he also traveled for a time. He was ambitious, however, to engage in business on his own account and eagerly availed himself of every oppor- tunity leading to that end. In 1875 he became one of the organizers of the firm of J. K. Burnham & Com- pany, a wholesale dry goods concern, the name of which was afterwards changed to Burnham, Stoepel & Company. In 1902 Mr. Stoepel was elected to the position of vice president and treasurer of the firm and upon the death of its president, James K. Burn- ham, in March, 1907, he was elected to the presidency and so remained until called to his final rest. The business, as the result of his cooperation, his discrim- ination and sagacity and his unfaltering enterprise, grew steadily, hecoming one of the foremost commer- cial concerns of Detroit. It all business affairs Mr. Stoepel readily discriminated between the essential and the non-essential. He employed constructive methods and attacked everything with a contagious enthusiasm that produced immediate and valuable re- sults. One who knows well the history of Detroit
has said: "Detroit has produced few business men the equal of Frederick C. Stoepel." In connection with his commercial interests he was a director of the old Detroit National Bank.
At Tecumseh, Michigan, on the 13th of July, 1881, Mr. Stoepel was united in marriage to Miss Anna R. Sutton, a daughter of Nehemiah M. and Mary E. (Sat- terthwaite) Sutton. Two sons were boru of this marriage. The elder, Frederick Sutton, is a prominent real estate man of Detroit, and is mentioned elsewhere in this work. He married Iorantha Mary Semmes, a niece of Admiral Semmes, and their children are Mary Anne, Iorantha Jordan, Ellen Semmes and Frederika Josephine. The younger son, Ralph Stoepel, is now a prominent figure in commercial circles in Detroit.
The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 5th of January, 1917, Frederick C. Stoepel passed away at his home in Detroit. He was a promi- nent figure in connection with many interests vital to the city. His political allegiance was given the re- publican party and in 1905 he was appointed by Gov- ernor Warner one of the jury commissioners for Wayne county, serving in that position for four years. He belonged to the National Dry Goods Association of New York and occupied a prominent position in com- mercial circles of the country. He had membership with the Detroit Club and the Country Club. He was a loyal follower of the teachings of the Congre- gational church, in which he served as trustee of the First church for twenty-five years, while for two de- cades he was in charge of the church music. He possessed a judicial mind and attractive social quali- ties, was very approachable and always generous. His entire career was actuated by a spirit of progress that recognized in each successful accomplishment a start- ing point from which to reach a more advanced goal. There was something stimulating in his method of at- tacking any business or public proposition which he regarded as worth while. In his vocabulary there was no such word as fail and when one avenue of oppor- tunity seemed closed he carved out other paths whereby he might reach his objective. Moreover, his course measured up at all times to the highest stand- ards and no citizen of Detroit has been uniformly spoken of in terms of higher regard and respect than Frederick Christopher Stoepel.
DUPONT MORSE NEWBRO, a pharmaceutical man- ufacturer of Detroit, was born in Lansing, Michigan, and is a son of Solomon D. and Orissa (Maxwell) Newbro, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was born in the state of New York. The father was a prominent member of the medical profession in Lansing, Michigan, where he practiced for many years, or until the time of his death. His wife also passed away in Michigan in 1914. In their family were three children: Mrs. Walter Bleick, now living in Butte, Montana; Mrs. Florence Green, a resident of Long Beach, California; and Dupont M. of this review.
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The son obtained his early education in the schools of his native city and started out in the business world as an apprentice to the drug trade and at the same time took up the study of pharmacy in Lansing, being thus engaged until 1885. He then went to Helena, Montana, and a few months later removed to Butte, Montana, where he established a drug business on his own account, first opening a retail store and later engaging in both the wholesale and retail trade. It was while carrying on his retail drug business that he originated and put on the market Newbro's Herpi- cide, the first prophylactie for the scalp and the first preparation of its kind made in America. It is manu- factnred in Detroit by the Herpicide Company, of
which he is president and general manager. He was for twelve years president and general manager of the Newbro Drug Company and on the 1st of Jannary, 1902, he disposed of his interest in the business, which has since been successfully conducted under the original name. While in the west Mr. Newbro also became principal owner and a director of the Fosselman Drug Company, the Walkerville Drug Com- pany, and the Montana Drug Company, all of Butte, but disposed of his varions retail interests there in November, 1902. He was likewise for ten years president of the Washoe Copper Company, whose prop- erties were sold to the Amalgamated Copper Company for twenty million dollars. While residing in the west he was instrumental in organizing the Montana Pharmaceutical Association, of which he became the first president and he was also the first president of the Montana State Pharmaceutical Examining Board. His efforts and attention, however, are now concen- trated upon his manufacturing interests and with his return to Detroit his firm erected a suitable building at Nos. 35 to 37 Milwaukee avenne, West, for a manufacturing plant. Mr. Newbro devotes his entire time to his manufacturing interests and has won notable success in this field.
On the 20th of November, 1888, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Newbro and Miss Sarah M. Hall of Butte, Montana, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Hall of that city. They have become parents of three children: William Hall, born in Butte in 1894, was educated in the publie schools of Detroit and the Culver Military Academy of Indiana, and during the World war he enlisted in the service, was made ser- geant and sent overseas; Martha J., born in Butte, in 1899, was graduated from Wellesley College in 1920; Dupont M., Jr., was born in Detroit in 1905 and is now atending the Northern high school. Mr. Newbro is a Knights Templar Mason and is a member of Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the Detroit Athletic, Detroit Golf and the Detroit Auto Clubs, and his interest in community affairs is shown in his connection with the Board of Commerce. Mr. Newbro is recognized as a man of keen business enterprise and of splendid powers of organization and his success is the direct outcome of
his labors and intelligently directed energy. He is quick to cooperate in all movements for the public good and has given tangible support to many efforts for Detroit's benefit and upbuilding. His residence is at No. 100 Pallister avenue, and his summer home, "Glenlodge," is on the shores of Lake Angelus, Oak- land county, Michigan.
HOWARD JAMES CUNNINGHAM, of the Fulton- Green-Cunningham Company, conducting an advertis- ing business in Detroit, is a native of Washington, Iowa, born April 3, 1891, and a son of C. C. and Helen L. (Canfield) Cunningham, who are yet resi- dents of Washington. Spending his youthful days under the parental roof, the son attended the public and high schools and then continued his education in the Lake Forest Preparatory school at Lake Forest, Illinois. He afterward entered the University of Chicago, from which he was graduated with the class of 1911, and thus was well qualified by liberal educa- tion for life's practical and responsible duties. For two years thereafter he was engaged in the advertis- ing business in Chicago in connection with the Will- iam D. MeJunkin Company. He was afterward asso- ciated with the old Record-Herald for a year in the advertising department as manager of the advertising bureau. On coming to Detroit Mr. Cunningham en- tered into his present business relations, becoming a partner of the Fulton-Green-Cunningham Company in 1916. He was first made the secretary of the company and is now the treasurer. This company conducts an extensive advertising business through the middle west and the number of its clients is constantly increasing.
On the 3d of April, 1916, Mr. Cunningham was united in marriage to Miss Inez Travers of Chicago, and they are well known socially, enjoying the hos- pitality of many of the attractive homes of Detroit. Mr. Cunningham belongs to the Detroit Athletic Club and to the Alpha Delta Phi, a college fraternity. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he is a stalwart advocate of its principles, yet he does not seek nor desire office, preferring to con- centrate his energies and his efforts upon his busi- ness affairs, which are of constantly growing scope and importance.
GEORGE E. SCHAEFER, a progressive young busi- ness man of Detroit, manager in this city for the Schaefer Rubber Company, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, March 7, 1877, and was educated in the schools of his native city. He afterward entered the general offices of the Standard Oil Company in Cincinnati, and there remained for eight years. Later he turned his attention to the rubber business in connection with the Schaefer Rubber Company, which his father founded in 1888. In 1910 they opened a store in De- troit at 15 East Grand River avenue, of which George E. Schaefer has since been manager. They deal in rubber goods exclusively, handling the wholesale and
HOWARD J. CUNNINGHAM
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retail trade and the business has become one of exten- sive and gratifying proportions.
Mr. Schaefer was married in 1899 to Miss Ida M. Yost, and they have one son, Robert E. Schaefer. Mr. Schaefer is a member of Palestine Lodge, No. 357, A. F. & A. M .; King Cyrus Chapter, R. A. M .; and Detroit Commandery, K. T. He is also connected with the Exchange Club, with the Automobile Club, the Masonic Country Club and the Board of Commerce, and through his connection with the last named mani- fests keen interest in civic problems and all those projects which have to do with the upbuilding and progress of the city. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, and while he has never sought nor desired office he keeps well informed on the ques- tions and issues of the day and lends his aid to any measure for the public good. He is regarded as one of the progressive young business men of Detroit, who already has established a trade of extensive pro- portions here, and by reason of what he has thus far accomplished one feels that his future career will be well worth watching.
JULIUS J. HUEBNER is president and manager of the Huebner Manufacturing Company, handling lumber and building material, and manufacturing sash, doors, mill work, etc. He was born in Detroit, No- vember 10, 1868, a son of Edward and Caroline Hueb- ner. The father was long a prominent figure iu busi- ness circles of this city in connection with the lumber trade and here passed away in 1902 at the advanced age of eighty-four years. His wife died in Detroit the previous year.
Julius J. Huebner attended the Everitt school of Detroit and later Smith College of this city. He then became identified with the lumber business which was established by his father, aud which now is conducted under the name of the Huebner Manufacturing Com- pany, of which Julius J. Hnebner is the president and manager. Not only does the company enjoy an ex- tensive sale of lumber, but also does a large business in the manufacture of sash and doors and in handling all kinds of building material. The company is owner of the property at Mt. Elliott and Milwaukee avenue and was the pioneer manufacturer to carry on business in this territory, which is now teeming with large man- ufacturing interests, automobile plants and other busi- ness concerns. The business which was established by the father has been consistently promoted and de- veloped by the son, who has operated along modern lines and whose carefully directed interests, constantly growing and developing, have brought to him sub- stantial success. He is familiar with every phase of the lumber trade and with manufacturing in wood- working material and has ever displayed keen dis- cernment in directing his affairs. He has the ability to coordinate seemingly diverse interests into a unified and harmonious whole, and whatever he undertakes he carries forward to snecessful completion. He is
a member of the Detroit Lumber Dealers Association and is prominently known to the trade and enjoys respect and confidence by reason of the fact that his path has never been strewn with the wrecks of other men's failures, for at all times he has followed con- structive business methods.
In 1893 Mr. Huebner was married to Miss Amelia Mullenhagen of Detroit, a daughter of Charles Mullen- hagen, and they have become parents of four children: Charlotte, who was born in Detroit, and after graduat- ing from the city high school, became a student in the University of Michigan, completing her course there in 1919; Margaret, who was graduated from the Central high school and from the Liggett school at Detroit and also attended Madam Raffel's French school at New York city, while now she is a student in the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Mich- igan; Julius F., who was graduated from the Central high school and is now a junior in the University of Michigan; and Mildred, who is attending the Liggett school for girls in Detroit. Mr. Huebner and his family are occupying an enviable social position here, having many friends in this city. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, but has never been active in lodge connections, in club life or in politics, preferring at all times to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his business affairs, which wisely directed have made him one of the prosperous residents of this city and state.
ARMIN A. DARMSTAETTER, treasurer of the Mundus Products Company, Limited, of Detroit, has been a lifelong resident of this city. He was born here and is a son of Herman and Minnie (Wolff) Darmstaetter. He pursued his early education in the public schools and afterward attended Amherst Col- lege. In 1911 he became connected with the Chicago Brewery of Detroit, which was established in 1883 by Herman, Gustave and Otto Darmstaetter. The business was carried on by them in this way until 1903, when it was incorporated as the West Side Brewery, and in 1919 it became the Mundus Products Company, Limited, of which Armin A. Darmstaetter is now the treasurer. His business training was re- ceived under his father's direction
In 1914 Mr. Darmstaetter was married to Miss Priscilla Scotten and they have become the parents of two children: Armin A., Jr .; and Priscilla. Mr. Darmstaetter enlisted as a private in December, 1917, and was sent to Paterson, New Jersey, where he was made a sergeant in the ordnance department. Subsequently he was sent to Washington, D. C., where he was connected with the Quartermaster's Department, P. S. & T., and in 1918 was commissioned first lieutenant, thus serving until he received his honorable discharge in December of that year.
Mr. Darmstaetter is a representative of one of Detroit's oldest and best known families, his grand- father, Jacob Darmstaetter, having come to this city
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in 1853. Since that time the family has been well known here. Armin A. Darmstaetter is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club, the Detroit Boat Club, the Oakland Hills Country Club, the Automobile Club, the Automobile Country Club and also the Delta Kappa Epsilon, a college fraternity. He is likewise con- nected with the society known as American Officers of the Great War. He is an alert, enterprising and wide-awake young business man, well known through both commercial and social relations, and his friends in Detroit are many.
JOHN H. BUSBY. Detroit has many progressive young captains of industry who have been active in winning Detroit her place in the industrial world, whereby she has become the fourth city in the United States. Energetic and prominent in the business cir- cles is John H. Bushy, now president of the John H. Busby Company, electrical contractors. In this con- nection he has been active in installing the electric lighting in many of the most prominent public and private buildings of the city. He was born at Niagara Falls, New York, October 31, 1880, and is a son of William and Lillian (Bailey) Busby, the latter a native of Penn Yan, New York, while the former was born in England and came to America in his boyhood days. Here he took up locomotive engineering as an employe of the Grand Trunk Railway and was re- garded as one of the most efficient engineers on the road, continuing in the employ of the company for thirty-five years, after which he retired from busi- ness and removed to Hamilton, Ontario, where he re- sided until his death in 1917. He was then seventy years of age. For a long period he had survived his wife, who died in 1894, at the age of thirty-five years. In their family were seven children: Fred, of Detroit; Rolla, of Canada; Edward, living in Walkerville, On- tario, who was with the Canadian forces in France throughout the World war; Lottie, who is married; William, living in Canada; Frank, deceased; and John H.
The last named attended the public schools of Ham. ilton and Toronto, Canada, and continued his educa- tion in the Detroit high school, after which he attended the Detroit College of Medicine for a year but gave up the idea of becoming a physician and entered the Detroit Business University. Later he took a course in electrical engineering through the International Correspondence schools and after completing his stud- ies became associated with the Michigan Alkali Com- pany. A year later he entered the employ of the Michigan Electric Company as a helper, working for a dollar per day. In the meantime he studied every book he could get on electrical engineering, many times reading until the hours of night had almost waned. He improved his knowledge to such an extent through his comprehensive study and practical experi- ence that he rose from the position of helper to jour- neyman with the Michigan Electric Company and then
secured a position with the H. Scherer Company. The first important task he did was to wire the entire new building of the Scherer Company and then took up a similar task for the MeCleary & Colquitt Company and others. He afterward became business agent for the Electrical Workers Union, so continuing for a year, and also represented the International Brotherhood Electrical Union. He held every office from agent to financial secretary and president, serving for one year in each capacity. He next became estimator for the firm of John D. Templeton & Company, with whom he remained for six years and then organized the John H. Busby Company, his associate in the undertaking being Thomas M. Templeton, Jr. They started business in 1913 at 73 Shelby street with borrowed capital and have developed their interests until their business is one of the most successful of the kind in the state of Michigan. They have done the electrical work in most of the big public buildings and the large industrial and manufacturing plants and hundreds of smaller institutions, besides homes, hos- pitals, churches, theatres and amusement places. They are prominent among the electrical contractors of Detroit, their work being seen in the Tuberculosis hospital, the Detroit refrigerator building, the plant of the National Candy Company, the tractor plant of the General Motors Company at Pontiac, the Oakland motor plant at Pontiac, the Book building, Real Es- tate Exchange, Stroh building, J. L. Hudson building, Peoples State Bank, Telegraph building, Wagner Bakery, Garden Court apartments, and many others, including a number of the finest homes in Detroit and the Grosse Pointe district, also the state capitol at Lansing and all the electrical work for Camp Custer and the aviation field. Their annual business now amounts to abont one-half million dollars. From the beginning Mr. Busby has been president of the company and its executive head. His personal expe- rience and practical knowledge of the business has thoroughly enabled him to direct the labors of those in his employ and the company today has upon its pay- roll from one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty people. They have a modern office building and a large storage plant. The office building and warehouse at 826 Cherry street were erected ex- pressly for this company in 1917 and in fact they are the owners of the building. Their warehouse, which is very large, contains many thousands of dol- lars worth of electrical material and they are ready at all times to meet the demands of the trade.
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