USA > Missouri > Centennial history of Missouri, vol. 2 > Part 35
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in which was laid broad and deep the foundation for the present greatness and prosperity of St. Louis. The worth of his work is widely acknowledged by all who know aught of the history of the city through this period.
Rt. Reb. Algr. John J. Cannrath
ST. REV. MGR. JOHN J. TANNRATH, chancellor of the arch- R diocese of St. Louis and pastor of the Church of St. Louis of France, was born April 26, 1864, in the city where for these many years he has labored with signal success for the uplift and benefit of mankind. His parents, Benjamin and Caroline (Hunt) Tannrath, were natives of Saxony, Germany. They were married in New York city, to which they had migrated in young manhood and womanhood. About 1858 they moved to St. Louis. The father served as a captain in the Union army during the Civil war and was connected at different periods with the artillery and with the cavahy. When the country no longer need his aid and support he returned to St. Louis and engaged in the decorating and upholstering business. He passed away in 1903 at the age of seventy-eight years and was survived for about seven years by his wife, who died in 1910 at the advanced age of eighty-five.
The Rt. Rev. Mgr. John J. Tannrath was educated in St. Louis University, in which institution he began his classical course, and at Teutopolis, Illinois, in St. Joseph's College, where he completed his classical studies. He next en- tered the Benedictine Fathers' School at St. Meinrad, Indiana, where he took his philosophical and theological course, and on the 26th of February, 1888, was ordained to the priesthood at Vincennes, Indiana, by Bishop Chatard of Indianapolis.
Subsequently the subject of this sketch returned to St. Louis and was made assistant priest at St. Peter's church at St. Charles, Missouri. A year later he was transferred to his native city as assistant pastor of St. John's church at Sixteenth and Chestnut streets, in which position he labored until 1896, when he was made assistant chancellor of the archdiocese of St. Louis. On the 3rd of March, 1898, Archbishop Kane appointed the Rev. J. J. Tannrath to the posi- tion of pastor of St. Agnes' church, the appointment being made through the following letter: "By advice of my council I hereby appoint you pastor of St. Agnes' church of this city. I hope by the grace of God you will be able to cope with the many and various difficulties of the parish. I will not expect you to remain there more than two years and hope you will have sense enough to resign after that time. (Signed Archbishop Kane.)"
Well did the archbishop write "many and various difficulties!" Only they who recall the story of those days and the peculiar conditions then obtaining in St. Agnes can realize the burden implied in his Grace's phrase. One who is well acquainted with that story tells us how generously and efficiently the new pastor assumed and carried the burden: "As a priest Father Tannrath excels in preserving harmony in his flock, in keeping up the finances and in carrying on difficult work successfully. He assumed his duties at St. Agnes'
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church, a parish burdened so with debt that its property had been sold at anetion. He restored this parish, quieted all factional differences and after a few years made it one of the most prosperous, spiritually and financially, of any in the city."
The success achieved in St. Agnes' it was, no doubt, which opened the eyes of Father Tannrath's superiors to his fitness for further administrative duties. In 1910 he was named chancellor of the archdiocese and on the 5th of Septem- ber, 1915, the following letter from Archbishop Glennon added to this charge the peculiarly difficult task of rehabilitating the old cathedral. The wording of this missive, which transferred Father Tannrath from St. Agnes', is open tes- timony to the nature of this task :
"My dear Father Tannrath : I hereby appoint you pastor of the old cathe- dral of St. Louis. I am anxious to see both the old cathedral, its memories, and some of its civic and ecclesiastical glories preserved and to that end I am asking you to sacrifice yourself. Very respectfully, John J. Glennon, Arch- bishop of St. Louis."
The new pastor of the oldest church in the Mississippi Valley plunged into the work assigned to him with the energy characteristic of him, even while his devoted parishioners of St. Agnes' were using every available means to induce his superiors to recall the order of transfer. He probably realized how futile were bound to be these efforts of appreciative and affectionate co-workers with him in the trying days at St. Agnes'.
In his new charge, as a zealous downtown pastor, Father Tannrath's entire life is an act of benevolence. He has restored the old church and put in order the venerable parish-house, which has been entirely remodeled throughout. Reformation of fallen characters, rehabilitation of those who have wasted their substance, care of defective children, practical sympathy for the unemployed- all these mark his daily life. He has organized a parochial school that is unique in its cosmopolitan character. In it are gathered children of all nations and creeds ; children from the far East, from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Jugo and Czecho-Slavakia, Italy and France. These children are given a thorough train- ing that makes for the best development in the principles of American citizen- ship. There is no tuition charge for the education given them. The scholarly ability of Mgr. Tannrath finds expression in his insistence upon education for all his children, including the very poor. There are nearly twenty different na- tionalities now represented in the old cathedral parish school and in June, 1919, he conducted the first graduation exercises held there in forty years. He has opened new rooms for the school and takes the keenest interest in the develop- ment of the children who gather in its halls.
Mgr. Tannrath's diversions are conscientiously taken with the prime aim of keeping fit for his high calling. On vacation periods he indulges in fishing. A brisk walk or drive, a social hour with a fellow priest, a musical evening, or a dinner given in his own home are the lines of his customary recreations, and it was at a dinner given by him at the old cathedral in honor of the papal delegate, Mgr. John Bonzano, and many visiting bishops, that announcement was made several years ago of his elevation to the papal household, with the rank of monsignor. He is noted for hospitality among the clergy and for social gifts of a general nature which have attracted to the old cathedral many old
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families of the city, who have interested themselves in the poor and in the up- keep of the stately building. He originated the society known as Daughters of St. Louis of France. He has a thorough knowledge of music, is a good pianist and ranks well as a musie eritic. He is an appreciative patron of grand opera, a competent instructor of the fine choir in his own church. His knowl- edge of composers and their works covers every musical writer in the American and European schools. Ile is especially a devotee and an authority upon church music. One of his chief characteristics is his candor, and the clean-ent, straight- forward manner in which he administers the various trusts reposed in him has built for him an excellent reputation among business men of all classes.
As a citizen Mgr. Tannrath has done much to promote the welfare of his city and to aid in its various philanthropie activities. Ilis altruistic spirit, his ability for making friends and his untiring interest in the growth and devel- opment of St. Louis have made him one of her foremost residents. Ile is a member of the University Club, the Civic League, and the Chamber of Com- merce.
Mgr. Tannrath keeps abreast with current literature, is a good linguist and finds enjoyment in works on psychology, poetry, music and art. His preaching is characterized by straightforward, convineing speech without unnecessary ornamentation ; in secular addresses he exeels in witty, unstudied repartee, so that he is much sought after as an after dinner speaker. ITis executive ability and depth of judgment have won for him the following important offices in the St. Louis diocese : Chancellor of the diocese, member of the board of directors of Kenrick Seminary, member of the board of consultors to the archbishop and member of the Calvary Cemetery Association board. The value of his work for mankind is widely acknowledged, while his service to the church in har- monizing, organizing and directing the development of the Catholic faith in St. Louis is recognized and appreciated by every one who realizes the need of just these qualities in the life of the church today.
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8. W Houx
Edwin D. Doux
DWIN W. HOUX of Kansas City is one of the most prom- E inent and widely known representatives of live stock interests of the west and southwest. He is the president of the Drumm- Standish Commission Company which was one of the pioneer companies operating in Kansas City and he is also the pres- ident of the Live Stock Exchange. Missouri numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Johnson county, November 5, 1863, his parents being James Henry and Mary Everett (Wilson) Houx. The parents were natives of Cooper county, Missouri, and of Cold River near Charleston, Virginia, respectively. The old Houx homestead in Missouri is at Pilot Grove. The family was founded in this state by Phillip S. Houx, who arrived in 1820 and engaged in the cooperage business at Lafay- ette. He also served as the first sheriff of Johnson County, Missouri, and took active part in the pioneer development of that section of the state. His son, James Henry Houx, attended the country schools at Chappell Hill, Lafayette county, where he was a student of the Rev. Robert D. Morrow, and A. W. Ridings, and schoolmate of Senator Cochran and J. T. Crisp. He became a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, teaching in western Missouri and doing missionary work. His first charge was at Independence, and at West- port. His uncle John Lewis was a saddler and harness maker who outfitted expeditions for the Santa Fe trail. The family was in many ways closely asso- ciated with the early development of the state along material, intellectual and moral lines. Mr. Houx preached in the schoolhouses, and among his parishion- ers were Col. Younger, father of Cole Younger, the Christophers, Urtons and others of the pioneers with their families. He was a democrat in his political belief and a slave holder in early days. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity and the sterling worth of his character was recognized by all who knew him and in that way he left the impress of his individuality and ability upon the history of the state in many ways. He passed away at Warrensburg in 1908, when seventy-six years of age. His widow now in her eighty-second year re- sides in the old home, where she has lived since 1869.
Edwin W. Houx was a pupil in the Normal school at Warrensburg and throughout his entire life has been prominently connected with the live stock business in Missouri and the southwest. For twenty years he has been a member of the Live Stock Exchange and is now the president of the Drumm-Standish Commission Company, as well as of the Live Stock Exchange. The company, of which he is the head, was established by Major A. Drumm, and was one of the pioneer companies operating in live stock. The company now handles cattle, hogs and sheep and controls an extensive business. Extending his efforts beyond the mere direction and interests of a live stock commission merchant of Kansas
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City he has become a director of the West Side State Bank which he aided in organizing, and he also has some ranch interests at Artesia, New Mexico, where he is breeding Herefords. He is the president of the Feliz Cattle Company, is the vice persident of the Double Circle Cattle Company of Clifton, Arizona, which is engaged in the breeding of Herefords for grazing and feeding purposes and has other investments, so that he ranks among the most progressive and en- terprising business men of Kansas City.
At Center View, Missouri, Mr. Houx was married to Miss Lucy Wharton, a daughter of Jack Wharton, who was born in Washington, D. C., and is a direct descendant of George Washington. Her father, Jack Wharton, went to Warrensburg, Missouri, when about seventeen years of age and joined Col. MeCowan, who was raising a company for service in the Civil war. He entered the army as a private and was advanced to lieutenant under Price. He en- gaged in the drug business at Center View and was very active, not only in commercial but in political and civic circles. He voted with the democratic party, was a very active member of the Masonic fraternity and was a loyal fol- lower of the teachings of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Houx has been born one son, James Robert, whose birth occurred at Center View, in 1896, and who is now a farmer there, engaged extensively in the raising of Duroc Jersey hogs. He was educated in the Central high school of Kansas City, also in the Agricultural College and the University of Missouri.
Mr. Honx gives his political allegiance to the democratic party. He ranks as one of the leading and progressive business men of Kansas City where step by step he has advanced in an orderly progression that has brought him to a place in the foremost ranks of those who are connected with the live stock in- dustry. That he has always held to ethical standards in business affairs is in- dicated in the honor accorded him with the election to the presidency of the Live Stock Exchange. His success has been most worthily won and from a humble position he has worked upward until as president of the Drumm-Standish Commission Company he is one of the foremost figures in live stock commission circles in the west.
Mr. Houx has attained a prominent place in Masonry, being a member of Warrensburg Lodge, Chapter and Commandery and a member of the Ararat Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Rotary Club and the Kan- sas City Club. .
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Las. Cztantow
James Parrish Dawson
AMES PARRISH DAWSON, for forty years a prominent at- torney of St. Louis, was born at Midway, Kentucky, July 17, 1851, and died November 22, 1917, at his home, "Bois D'Are" at Webster Groves, St. Louis county. He was the son of Rev. John Dabney Dawson and Mary Jane Bell, his wife. The father, a native of near Lynchburg, Virginia, where he was born October 20, 1808, removed at an early age with his parents to Kentucky and was educated at Center College, Danville, and at Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky. During his student days at the latter institution he met his future wife whom he wedded December 20, 1831. She was a native of Nashville, Tennessee, and in infancy had jour- neyed with her parents by ox team and wagon from her birthplace to Lexing- ton, Kentucky. J
Rev. John Dabney Dawson had a long and distinguished career as a min- ister of the Christian church and as an educator. Ile was first principal of Midway Orphan School at Midway, Kentucky. Removing to Columbia, Mis- souri, he was for several years an associate teacher in Christian College. In 1862 he removed to Louisiana, Missouri, where, together with Elder Virgil Rice, he conducted a private school for two or three years. He also at one time con- dueted a private school at Hannibal, Missouri, and there Mark Twain, the cele- brated writer, was his pupil. Ile was an elder in the Christian church at Lou- isiana, Missouri, and contributed largely to the establishment and upbuilding of that denomination in the Mississippi valley. It has been said of his teaching that it inspired the development of the best in every individual who came under his instruction. The last fifteen or eighteen years of his life were spent on his farm near Louisiana, in gardening and fruit raising-occupations eongenial because of his love of nature and outdoor life. His wife and he lived to cele- brate their golden wedding anniversary, she surviving to the age of eighty-six years. At his death this tribute was paid: "The artless simplicity of the child, the profound erudition of the scholar, the elegant refinement of the gen tleman and the reverent piety of the Christian patriarch were blended in him." And of his wife it was said: "Like Solomon's ideal woman, her hands were never idle and whatever she did was well done."
The children of John Dabney and Mary Jane Bell Dawson were: Theodore, who beeame a druggist at Warsaw, Illinois; William C., who entered the min- istry of the Christian church ; Mrs. Ella Dawson Carson of Chicago; and James Parrish Dawson, subjeet of this sketeh.
James Parrish Dawson was edueated in a private school conducted by his father at Louisiana, Missouri, was a student of Greek and Latin at the age of ten, graduated from the Louisiana high school under Professor Osborne and
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taught a country school for a time; but Professor Osborne, recognizing the prom- ise in him, pressed a loan of one thousand dollars on young Dawson, with which to complete his education. He decided upon law as a profession, came to St. Louis, and after insuring his life in favor of his benefactor, purchased a newspaper route for delivery of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, in order to sus- tain himself and entered upon his legal studies at Washington University, where he won scholarships for the whole course in competitive examinations and was graduated. He was admitted to the bar in 1876. His legal education was achieved through toil and self-denial, often studying until midnight, arising at four o'clock in the morning, delivering his newspaper, then attending his classes ; but in his efforts at self support he made the acquaintance of men who in later years become his friends and factors in his success. He obtained desk room in the offices of Patrick and Frank and following the death of Mr. Patrick became associated with Mr. Frank and with Mr. Wm. E. Garvin in organizing the law firm of Frank, Dawson and Garvin, and eventually with Mr. Garvin under the firm name of Dawson and Garvin, which relation continued until the death of Mr. Dawson. In this connection Mr. Dawson won a place among the foremost corporation attorneys of St. Louis, was honored with the trusteeship of large and important interests and, as was said of him: "Became an enthusiastic advocate, able, learned, indefatigable, excelling in equity matters and a wise business counsellor."
Mr. Dawson was a charter member of the Mercantile Club of St. Louis and also of the Algonquin Club at Webster Groves, but in the organizations with which he identified himself he formed personal attachments, rather than partici- pating actively in the management. In earlier years his recreations were hunting and fishing and he enjoyed Nature in every phase, thus exhibiting the impress in his formative period of not only his parents, but also of his mother's brother, Dr. Theodore S. Bell, the eminent physician of Lexington and Louisville, Ken- tucky, a man of rare intellectual attainments and with a remarkable knowledge of botany.
Mr. Dawson was married September 3, 1881, to Miss Dell Mead, daughter of George L. Mead. paymaster of the United States Navy. The children of this marriage are: James C., of the Dawson Manufacturing Company ; and Frances, wife of Herbert C. Rhodes of the Graham Paper Company of St. Louis. In 1884 Mr. and Mrs. Dawson established their home at Webster Groves, St. Louis county, ultimately acquiring a tract of thirty-nine acres in an attractive sec- tion, on which he erected in 1914 the home in which he died and where, during the years of his residence he manifested his inherited love for "growing things" in the rare plants, flowers, shrubs and trees which he gathered there from even beyond the seas. His interests were wide, extending from his profession to the sciences and he was a student of many things, from the history of the Indian races of America, archaeology and kindred subjects to his pet hobby, botany ; and all were bound up with his home and family life amid his fine library, his flowers and his friends. To hear him speak of his children and grandchildren was an experience-his words were so full of love and enthusiastic admiration, as if their like had never been before.
Mr. Dawson's nature abounded in enthusiastic hopefulness which he infused into his clients. to whose interests he gave the highest degree of fidelity and
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each of whom he had the faculty of welcoming as a warm personal friend. He exhibited that perfect physical fitness for his professional work which, he once remarked, was an essential to the practice of law. His mental processes were very interesting. He seemed to leap at a conclusion, then to fortify it with sound reasons; but his apparently spontaneous utterances were really the re- sults of years of laborious effort along beaten paths and but demonstrated his mastery of his profession. He was positive in assertion, clear and convincing in statement and showed unusual aptitude for and acquaintance with the princi- ples of mechanies, when engaged in trade mark and patent questions. His prom- inent traits of character were his fixedness of purpose, his high standard of honor and independence of spirit, his kindliness in social contact and his loy- alty to his friends. Endowed with the best of inheritances, which he culti- vated and enriched by his own intelligent labors and availment of opportu- nity, he stood fairly representative of the best type of the American lawyer and citizen.
Jacob Francis Dellrung
HERE is much that is inspirational in the life record of Jacob Francis Hellrung, who at the age of fifteen started out as an T apprentice to the tinsmith's trade, and who in the course of an active business career has arrived at the head of the ex- tensive house furnishing business, condueted under the firm name of ITellrung & Grimm. This business was established in 1887, and the development of the enterprise is attributable to the progressive methods, the business sagacity and broad vision of the president and treasurer and his associates, who have made this one of the leading com- mercial concerns of St. Louis. Mr. Hellrung was born in Freeburg, Illinois, December 27, 1861, and his parents are Frank and Catherine Hellrung, who emigrated from Germany at the ages of seven and nine years respectively. In early life the father engaged in farming and when twenty-four years of age put aside all business and personal considerations to serve in the Civil war. Fol- lowing the close of hostilities he conducted a brickyard at Freeburg.
In that town Jacob Hellrung attended the parochial schools, also the public grammar schools, while later he pursued a commercial course at night. When a lad of fifteen he entered upon an apprenticeship as a tinsmith and at the cornice making trade, at which he worked in Freeburg, Illinois, until eighteen years of age when he came to St. Louis and was employed as a journeyman until 1887. When twenty-five years of age he established business on his own account, opening a stove and tinware store and doing general roofing, gutter- ing and spouting, his place of business being at Sixteenth and Biddle streets. In the year 1901 he organized the firm of Hellrung & Grimm and erected a three- story brick building on the southeast corner of Sixteenth and Cass avenue, ex tending the scope of the business to include the sale of furniture, carpets and general house furnishings. In the year 1911 the firm leased a corner building, one hundred by one hundred and fifty feet, and six stories in height, at the southwest corner of Ninth and Washington avenue, where they are now conduct- ing a business amounting to about a million dollars annually. Mr. Hellrung is the president and treasurer of the firm and the success of the enterprise is at- tributable in a large measure to the business policy which he inaugurated, to his broad vision and unfaltering enterprise. Fair dealings and truthful adver- tising have alawys figured prominently in the conduct of the business and substantial success has resulted therefrom. In addition to his interest in this house Mr. Hellrung is president of the Cass Avenue Bank, and a director of the Standard Separator Company of Milwaukee.
In 1884 Mr. Hellrung was married to Miss Christina Grimm, a daughter of Frank and Margaret Grimm, and they have become the parents of two sons and two daughters: Joseph B., Jacob F., Catherine and Amanda. The eldest
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son wedded Leigh Kuehne, while Jacob married Edith Goedde, and Catherine is the wife of George Dostal, and Amanda the wife of Carl Williams. In 1907 Mrs. Hellrung, the mother, passed away and in 1908 Mr. Hellrung was again married, the second union being with Louise Theresa Perano, a daughter of Frank and Clara Perano. There is one son of this marriage, Francis Albert.
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