USA > Missouri > Centennial history of Missouri (the center state) one hundred years in the Union, 1820-1921, Volume V > Part 73
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William Elliot Coffer obtained his education at the expense of hard work and solitary study and his success in his chosen profession is entirely due to his untiring efforts and perseverance. While he was teaching in the public schools he became principal of the Pacific, Missouri, schools in 1912 and later was a ward principal în the Flat River schools.
He is a republican in politics and has always been actively interested in the
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affairs of that party. In 1908 he was elected public administrator of this county and served two terms in this office. At the time of the World war he tried to enlist, but owing to the fact that he had a family he was not permitted to do so. However, he served his country in every possible way, as a member of the legal advisory board of St. Francois county and during the various drives he was a Four-Minute man and was constantly engaged.
Mr. Coffer was married August 1, 1908, to Carrie Denman, of Marquand, Missouri, the daughter of William Denman, a farmer living near Marquand, in Madison county, Missouri. His father was Jabus H. Denman, a retired Methodist minister who lives in Farmington and has passed his ninetieth birthday. He was born in Sangamon county, Illinois. Mr. Denman was an associate and great admirer of Abraham Lincoln and is one of the best informed men of the day on the life and history of that great man. He was in the audience when the debate between Lincoln and Douglass took place. He bears a striking resemblance to Abraham Lincoln and is six feet four inches in height. Mr. and Mrs. Coffer are the parents of six children, four of whom are of school age. The children are: Willa Katharyn, Elliot Denman, Anita Elizabeth, Edyth Lucille, Naomi Ruth and Esther Luella.
Mr. Coffer is a member of the Farmington Baptist church and takes active interest in the Sunday school work as a teacher in the young men's Bible class. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Masonic order, being a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason. He keeps in close touch with the progress made by the profession through his membership in the Missouri State Bar Association.
In both public and professional connections Mr. Coffer has won the esteem and confidence of his colleagues and contemporaries for his career has always been upright and honorable, actuated by the most worthy motives and the highest principles.
REV. THOMAS D. KENNEDY.
Among those who are laboring untiringly and effectively for the upbuilding of the Catholic church in St. Louis is the Rev. Thomas D. Kennedy, pastor of the St. Philip Neri Catholic parish, his church being located at the corner of Thekla and Queens avenues, in St. Louis. Mr. Kennedy is a native of the city in which he still resides. He was born February 28, 1884, a son of Thomas D. and Martha (Quinn) Kennedy, the former born in Brooklyn, New York, while the latter was born in St. Louis. Thomas D. Kennedy, Sr., came to this city with his parents when a youth of seventeen years, or about 1873. His father was a noted stucco artist and did the plaster work in St. Joseph's Catholic church and in St. Lawrence Q'Toole's Catholic church, as well as in many other fine edifices. Thomas D. Kennedy, Sr., became an accountant and was the secretary of the Jeremiah Murphy Packing Company for a number of years. He belonged to the Merchants Exchange and was one of the well known men connected with the packing industry in St. Louis.
His son, the Rev. Thomas D. Kennedy, began his education in St. Bridget's parochial school and attended the St. Louis University from 1899 until 1901, there pursuing classical work. He afterward became a student in the St. Louis Preparatory Seminary where he completed his classical course in 1903. He next entered the Kenrick Sem- inary where he pursued courses in philosophy and theology and on the 11th of June, 1908, was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Glennon. He was then appointed assistant pastor of St. Teresa's Catholic parish on North Market street and there labored until March 26, 1917. In the previous December he had been appointed chaplain to the First Missouri Infantry, National Guard, and on the 26th of March, 1917, was called into the service and in the latter part of August went with his regi- ment to Nevada, Missouri. One month later he went to Camp Doniphan at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where the troops were training. There Father Kennedy was made chaplain on the 1st of October of the combined First and Fifth Regiments, both St. Louis organ- izations. In March, 1918, they left for Camp Mills, New York, and in April following sailed for France. Three weeks after his arrival in France Father Kennedy became senior division chaplain of the Thirty-fifth Division, comprising the Missouri and Kansas National Guard units and in this connection he had supervision over all the chaplains of the Thirty-fifth Division. He served in the front line trenches and during
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his entire stay in France was on the western front, being on duty on the Wesserling and Gerardmer sectors, also during the St. Mihiel offensive, the Meuse-Argonne drive and the Somme drive. He was commissioned a captain following the battle of the Argonne. He returned home on Easter Sunday, arriving at Newport News on that day, the only captain chaplain in the state of Missouri. He was discharged on the 20th of May, 1919, and a week later was appointed to organize the St. Philip Neri parish in the new industrial district of the city.
The result of Father Kennedy's labors is seen in a ninety thousand dollar church and school building which is now in course of construction. Other tangible evidences of his successful labors could be cited and the parish is in excellent condition in every way.
Father Kennedy is a member of the Missouri Athletic Club, also of the Knights of Columbus and he is now chaplain of Walter Blakeley Post of the American Legion, also state chaplain of the American Legion Co-operative Club. He is finance officer of the Catholic Chaplains Association of the Central States, with headquarters in Chicago, this organization having a membership of five hundred. He won popularity among the soldiers with whom he served and is a man of wide acquaintance in hls native city, enjoying the friendship and high regard of all who know him.
WALTER F. SCHELP.
Walter F. Schelp, attorney and counselor at law in St. Louis, was born in Ball- win, Missouri, June 21, 1888. His father, George H. Schelp, was also born in Ballwin and Is now secretary of the Moon Motor Car Company, the headquarters of which is located at St. Louis, a position which he has occupied since 1907. He was formerly secretary and treasurer of the J. W. Moon Buggy Company and prior to that time had engaged in business under the name of Schelp Wagon & Carriage Company. Thus throughout his entire life he has been connected with the vehicle trade and throughout the entire period has kept pace with the trend of modern progress, so that he is now closely associated with the automobile business. He married Hannah Zeinert, also a native of Ballwin, Missouri, and they became the parents of a daughter and two sons: C. Milton, who married Alma Becker and is living in St .Louis; Walter F. of this review; and Esther A., who is also in St. Louis.
Walter F. Schelp pursued his early education in the public schools of St. Louis and then entered the high school, pursuing his studies for three years. He next attended the Benton College of Law in its night session while employed in the day- time and was admitted to practice in July, 1912. He started out in the business world as an employe of the Wagner Electric Company, acting as assistant to the treasurer, while still later he became assistant cashier and subsequently assistant auditor, looking after all collections. He was with that corporation for three and a half years and then became' connected with the Western Electric Company. Still later he entered the employ of Butler Brothers of St. Louis in the claim adjusting department and was with that corporation for three and a half years. Thus the time passed until 1912 when he won his admission to the bar and entered upon the practice of law with Benjamin H. Charles, located in the Merchants Laclede building of St. Louis. Mr. Schelp afterward organized the Commercial Liquidation Company and filled the position of secretary, while later he was vice president. In 1918 he was elected to the presidency of the company which is devoted to commercial service in the col- lection of delinquent accounts on contract basis. The company has won international recognition and has clients from all parts of America and in various foreign countries as well, representing large and responsible concerns. Mr. Schelp is also the president of the Crystal Chemical Company which produces the highest grade of Barium Cloride, Barium Sulphide and other allied Barium products made from "Missouri tiff." His business and his professional interests are extensive and of an important character and he is widely known through these as well as other relations.
Mr. Schelp was married in St. Louis, December 15, 1915, to Miss Emma Mehnert, a daughter of Frank and Emma (Fischer) Mehnert, representatives of a St. Louis family. They have become parents of two sons: Paul Frederick, born September 26, 1916; and David Mehnert, born April 30, 1918. The family resides at No. 657 West Lockwood avenue, in Webster Groves. Mr. Schelp and his wife occupy an enviable social posi-
WALTER F. SCHELP
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tion and they are consistent members of the Salem Methodist Episcopal church, Mr. Schelp serving as a member of the board of the church. Mr. Schelp also is secretary of the committee on Comity Church Federation of St. Louis. His political endorse- ment is given to the republican party. During the World war he served as a member of the legal advisory board and was also one of the Four-Minute speakers who were continually engaged in an educational program that made the public familiar with the vital questions and real issues made for the country. Mr. Schelp belongs to the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and also to the United States Chamber of Commerce, while along professional lines he is a member of the St. Louis, Missouri State and American Bar Associations.
BREVATOR JOSIAH CREECH.
A native son of Troy is Brevator Josiah Creech, senior partner of the leading law firm in Lincoln county known as Creech & Penn. He was born at that place on the 6th of October, 1880, a son of the late Josiah Creech, whose death in April 5, 1905, brought to an end à long and active legal career. Josiah Creech was born in 1840 in Lincoln county, a son of George W. Creech, a pioneer settler of Missouri. He was a native of Nashville, Tennessee, and on coming west settled a few miles south- east of Troy where his death occurred in early life. The mother of Josiah Creech was Miss Parthenia Pollard before her marriage, a native of Lynchburg, Virginia, and a member of one of the old Lincoln county families. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. George Creech, Josiah being the only son in the family. Josiah Creech received his education in the schools of Lincoln county, later took up the study of law in the office of Quigly & Boufils and in 1871 was admitted to the bar. Mr. Creech was always a stanch supporter of the democratic party and his faithfulness to his faction was rewarded when he became prosecuting attorney for the county. During the last two terms of his service in this office he had erected the first gallows ever built in Lincoln county and on this gallows a prisoner convicted of murder was to have been executed, but the governor's reprieve prevented the carrying out of the sentence. Mr. Creech held the office of public administrator for some time and in 1875 served as mayor of Troy. Josiah Creech was married to Miss Marie Brevator, a daughter of John and Catherine (Hedges) Brevator, the father of English ancestry and the mother of French ancestry. The first of the Brevator family to come to Lincoln county was John Brevator, Sr., for whom a station on the Burlington Road just north of Old Monroe is named. At one time the Brevator family owned thirty- seven acres of land in Lincoln county. Three children were born to this union, of whom Brevator J. Creech is the only one living. The two other children passed away in the year 1884, in which year the mother also died.
In the acquirement of his education Brevator Josiah Creech attended the public schools of Troy and in due time entered the University of Missouri where he took an academic course. While attending college his marriage occurred, after which he began to study law and as a result went to Washington University at St. Louis. He completed his course in the law department of that university in 1903 and was graduated with the degree of LL. B. Returning to his home town of Troy he began the practice of his profession where his father before him had made a name in the legal profession. His energy and ability soon manifested themselves and he was elected city attorney for Troy in 1904, on the democratic ticket. He served in this capacity until 1906, at which time he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county and he served two terms, being reelected without opposition. In the primaries for his first nomination he defeated two opponents who afterwards became his partners, Stuart L. Penn and Joseph R. Palmer. During the four years of Mr. Creech's incum- bency he tried some of the most notorious criminal cases that have occurred in the county for years. His predecessor in office was W. O. Dudley who left a murder case which Mr. Creech assisted in prosecuting, but which failed of conviction. Another case which came under his jurisdiction was that of the Rev. Clyde W. Gow, a Metho- dist minister who with his accomplice, a Dr. Hemphill, was charged with felony. The minister was tried in Audrain county on a change of venue, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of four years. Dr. Hemp- hill was given a sentence of two years, but his case was dismissed by the court on Vol. V-43
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his motion. Mr. Creech was prosecuting attorney in the case of Edgar Parrish who was tried for the murder of George Rider, was convicted and is now serving a term of forty years at Jefferson City. Mr. Creech was a vigorous enforcer of the law when holding the office of prosecuting attorney and his official service has done much toward upholding the dignity of his profession in his community. At the termination of his official career Mr. Creech resumed his practice with Mr. Penn as a partner and in 1911 Mr. Palmer also became a member of the firm. The firm continued busi- ness under this name for several years, when Mr. Palmer was elected to the office of probate judge and withdrew from the firm. The firm is now known as Creech & Penn and they are considered the leading lawyers in Lincoln county.
On the 6th of February, 1901, Mr. Creech was united in marriage to Miss Mary Richards, a daughter of John E. and Ida (Carter) Richards. Her father is president of the Moscow Mills Savings Bank and also engaged in stock raising in Lincoln county. Her mother was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Miller Carter who was born in Virginia in 1826. In 1830 he removed to Missouri with his parents and set- tled in Lincoln county. When the Mexican war broke out he served under Lieutenant Price and fought for the Confederacy during the Civil war, raising a company in 1861, `joining General Cockerell's forces and received the commission of lieutenant- colonel. Colonel Carter was severely wounded at the battle of Franklin. He mar- ried Miss Alabama Henry, a daughter of Francis Henry. Her grandfather was Mal- colm Henry, Sr., who was one of the signers of the first constitution of Missouri. He served during the American Revolution as lieutenant and his name is one of the few on the bronze tablet erected by the U. S. D. of 1812, Jefferson memorial, St. Louis. Captain Thomas Carter, the progenitor of the family in this country, was born in London, England in 1630, came to America and in 1652 settled in Lancaster, Virginia. Four children have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Creech: Richard, a senior in the Troy high school; John, who is a junior; Joe, a freshman; and Austin, who is attending grammar school.
Mr. Creech is one of the most influential men of the democratic party in Lincoln county. He has been a delegate to the state conventions and was of great aid in forwarding the interests of Champ Clark in his congressional district. He was chair- man of the Champ-Clark-for-President Club of Lincoln county and prior to the presiden- tial primary in that state in 1912 was one of the active speakers and workers of the Clark forces in Illinois. In 1920 he was elected a member of the state democratic com- mittee from the ninth congressional district and is on the executive committee. In addition to his professional interests Mr. Creech is the owner of an extensive farm in the rich Mississippi valley, near Old Monroe. Fraternally Mr. Creech is a Mason, belonging to Troy Lodge, No. 34, of which he is past master; Troy Chapter, Royal Arch Mason, No. 85, of which he has been past high priest; Mexico Commandery, Knights Templars; is also a Scottish Rite Mason of the Missouri Consistory of St. Louis; and a member of Hiram Council, No. 1, of St. Louis. He is likewise affiliated with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Troy Lodge No. 58. The Creech family are consistent members of the Presbyterian church, in the activities of which they take a prominent part. As a man always interested in the development and improvement of his com- munity Mr. Creech belongs to the Commercial Club of Troy and was a member of the city council for several terms. He was secretary of the Lincoln Fair Association for three seasons and the esteem in which he is held by the people of Troy is further shown by the fact that he has been for five years one of the school directors of that place. Mr. Creech keeps in touch with the trend of public thought and progress and in matters relative to Troy always stands on the side of reform, advancement and improvement.
CASPER S. YOST.
Casper S. Yost, editor of the St. Louis Globe Democrat, was born in Sedalia, Mis- souri, July 1, 1864. His father, George Casper Yost, was a native of Gallatin county, Illinois, and a saddler by occupation. His father, Henry Yost, was born in Virginia in 1785 and there became a planter and slave holder. About 1812 he was converted, becoming a firm believer in the Christian religion and from conscientious scruples freed his slaves and removed to Illinois in order to rear his children in a free terrl- tory. In tracing the ancestral line still further back it is found that Henry Yost,
CASPER S. YOST
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Casper S. Yost's great-grandfather, entered the American army from Maryland and served with credit throughout the Revolutionary war. The ancestral history shows the family of German origin. The first representatives of the name in the United States crossed the Atlantic about 1725 and settled in eastern Pennsylvania where they became successful farmers. The mother of Casper S. Yost, who bore the maiden name of Sarah E. Morris, was born in Saugerties, New York, where her family had resided for many years, her ancestors coming originally from Wales.
Casper S. Yost acquired his early education in the public schools of Missouri and when but eight years of age began setting type on a weekly newspaper published at Lebanon, Missouri, finding it necessary to stand on a chair in order to reach the case. In 1881, when but a youth of seventeen years he came to St. Louis and was employed as a reporter for about nine months, after which he went to Richland, Missouri, desiring to become a railroad man. He worked along this line, learning telegraphy in the' meantime, but in 1885 he returned to newspaper work and became a reporter on the Missouri Republican, being thus employed until 1889 in which year he entered the service of the St. Louis Globe Democrat. Since then no changes in his business career have occurred save those which have come to him through promotion as the result of his energies and the development of his traits as a journalist. Through constant practice he has advanced until he is today editor of a paper that is recog- nized throughout the country as one of the foremost journals of the United States, while he is one of the most convincing editorial writers in the country.
When nineteen years of age Mr. Yost was married to Anna A. Parrott, of Richland, Missouri, who was early left an orphan, and was a descendant in both paternal and maternal lines from old colonial families. To Mr. and Mrs. Yost have been born three sons: Alfred C., thirty-six years of age, an artist and draftsman who served in France in the Engineering Division; Robert G., thirty-five years of age who is married and has two children; and Casper S., thirty-one years of age who is married and has one child.
In politics Mr. Yost is a republican. He belongs to the Missouri Athletic Club, the Chamber of Commerce and to the Sons of the American Revolution and he is often found in those gatherings where intellectual men are met in the discussion of important problems, their discussions frequently leading to the shaping of public thought and action.
JOSEPH STARKE CALFEE.
The banking business with its complex interests and activities of far-reaching importance is continually attracting to it young men of progressive spirit who find keen interest in the solution of its intricate problems. Among those now figuring prominently in the banking circles of St. Louis is Joseph Starke Calfee, vice presi- dent of the First National Bank, who, extending his efforts over a still broader field, is well known in connection with the financial activities of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.
A native of Virginia, Mr. Calfee was born near Graham, May 22, 1868, his parents being John Anderson and Julia A. (Davidson) Calfee, both representatives of old Virginia families who on emigrating from England to the new world established their homes in the Old Dominion. In 1870 John A. Calfee and his family took up their abode on a farm near Windsor, in Henry county, Missouri, but later the father engaged in mercantile pursuits in that town.
Joseph S. Calfee acquired his education in the schools of Windsor and his vaca- tion periods were spent in the printing office of the Windsor Review. His textbooks were put. aside when he was fifteen years of age, at which time he obtained employ- ment in the Windsor Savings Bank, remaining in that institution from 1883 until 1886, when he was elected assistant cashier of the Citizens Bank of Windsor. A year later, when a youth of but nineteen, he was advanced to the position of cashier and continued to act in that capacity and as manager until 1894, during which period the business gradually grew until what was originally a very small institution became one of the largest banks in that section of the state, its splendid development being attributable in no small degree to the executive ability and excellent management of Mr. Calfee.
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The steps in his orderly progression are easily discernible as he has advanced consistently as the result of his developing powers and the utilization of his oppor- tunities. In 1904 he was elected assistant cashier of the Mechanics National Bank of St. Louis and continued in the same position with its successor, the Mechanics- American National Bank, until 1910, when he was elected cashier and director. He served in this capacity with the Mechanics-American National Bank until 1919, when this bank with the St. Louis Union Bank and the Third National Bank was consolidated under the name of the First National Bank in St. Louis. Mr. Calfee was elected vice president of the First National Bank and continues in this position. Previous to his election as president of the Missouri Bankers Asso- ciation in 1903 he served as its treasurer, secretary and vice president and was presiding officer of the convention held in the Missouri building at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. In 1913 he was elected by the Missouri Bankers Association to serve as a member of the executive council of the American Bankers Association. During his term of office he advocated the formation of the National Bank Section of the American Bankers Association, which was acted upon favorably in 1915 and the National Bank Section of the American Bankers Association was established, embracing all national banks as members of the American Bankers Association, Mr. Calfee being elected vice president. In 1916 he was elected president of the National Bank Section and presided at the conven- tion held in Atlantic City in 1917. This convention of the American Bankers Asso- ciation was known as the "war convention," the entire meeting being given over to the discussion of plans for financing the war against Germany. During the time Mr. Calfee served as a member of the National Bank Section the financial laws of the United States were revolutionized by the enactment of the federal reserve law and he participated in many meetings in which this important and very beneficial law was discussed.
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