USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 29
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On the 3d of October, 1880, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Yates was married to Miss Mary C. Schuey, who died in December, 1905, leaving two sons and three daughters. On the 12th of October, 1907, in Omaha, he wedded Mary E. Free, a daughter of the late Milton Free and a native of Baltimore. His chil- dren are : Mary Frances, the wife of Harry E. Weil, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Anna. the widow of J. B. Lindsay and a resident of Omaha; Effie; Frank C., who was graduated from Creighton University and is now an attorney of Omaha; and Thomas, Jr.
In religious belief Mr. Yates is an Episcopalian, while his political faith is that of the republican party. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine, being now past illustrious potentate of Tangier Temple of Omaha. He has held all the chairs in the subordinate lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also in the Knights of Pythias. He has membership in the Country Club and the Happy Hollow Club and his interest in community affairs is manifest in his membership in the Commercial Club and his support of the projects which it advances to aid the city, extend its trade relations and uphold its civic standards.
ELMER STEPHEN REDICK.
Elmer Stephen Redick, an attorney whose legal knowledge is brought to bear in the successful management of the extensive interests under his direction, was born in this city on the 10th of June, 1887, a brother of the Hon. W. A. Redick and O. C. Redick, in connection with whose records on other pages of this work the family history is given. Having mastered the branches of learning taught in the public schools of Omaha, Elmer S. Redick continued his education in the Shattuck Preparatory School at Faribault, Minnesota, after which he entered Yale and completed a law course in the university with the class of 1911. Re- turning to Omaha, he soon afterward went abroad, traveling for a year on the Continent for that more liberal if less specialized culture which travel brings, making many feel, therefore, that travel is perhaps a better educator than the college.
Mr. Redick was admitted to the bar in 1911 and now concentrates his ener- gies upon the direction of his personal interests, in which connection his knowl- edge of law is proving of marked value to him. He has investments in many important business enterprises and is the president of the E. S. Redick Company, dealers in real estate.
Politically Mr. Redick is a republican and he is identified with several col- lege fraternities and social organizations, including the Psi Sigma Kappa, the Phi Delta Phi, the Omaha Club, the Country Club and the Commercial Club. He
ELMER S. REDICK
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is recognized as a prominent factor in promoting movements that mean a bigger and better Omaha, giving valuable support to well devised plans and measures looking to the further interests and growth of the city. His entire life has been passed in Omaha, where his acquaintance is a wide one and the many sterling traits of his character insure his personal popularity.
ALEXANDER MACKENZIE.
Throughout his entire life Alexander Mackenzie was connected with the dry goods trade and became widely recognized as an expert on silks. His business ability, developing year by year, was of a notable order and he enjoyed in the fullest measure the confidence of his associates in commercial circles. He was born near Glasgow, Scotland, June 18, 1848. and after acquiring a good education in the schools of that country he entered one of the largest dry goods stores of Glasgow and there received his business training.
Mr. Mackenzie was about twenty-five years of age when in 1873 he severed home ties and crossed the Atlantic to New York. There he met N. B. Falconer, of Omaha, who offered him a position in the retail dry goods store of A. Cruick- shank & Company of this city, who were then in business at the corner of Farnam and Fourteenth streets. The offer was accepted and Mr. Mackenzie remained continuously in that line of business in Omaha up to the time of his demise. While his knowledge of the trade in every department was of value to the house he came to be regarded as an expert on silk goods. He recognized the real worth of any piece of silk and he contributed much to the success of the house through his judicious purchases. For the last fifteen years of his life he was connected with the Thompson-Belden Company.
In 1878 Mr. Mackenzie was united in marriage to Miss Emma N. Brown, a daughter of William D. Brown, one of the honored pioneer residents of Omaha, who developed the first ferry system and in many ways was closely connected with the establishment of the city and its business connections. Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie became the parents of four children, Mrs. Edith Brown Winegar, Leon R., Norma G. and Lyle S. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie became well known in Omaha, their genuine worth establishing them in a most enviable position in social circles.
The death of Mr. Mackenzie occurred June 9, 1907. His friends, and they were many, knew him as a social, genial and companionable gentleman and his business ability was a force to be reckoned with, for his expert knowledge, which was combined with irreproachable business integrity, made him a man who never stopped short of the successful accomplishment of his purpose.
JOHN WILSON BATTIN.
John Wilson Battin, for twenty-three years a practitioner at the Omaha bar, was born in Albany, New York, February 6, 1868. His grandfather and his father were both natives of Pennsylvania. The latter, Isaac Battin, born in 1832, was married in that state to Nancy Maus Wilson and in 1887 they removed to Omaha, but in 1912 returned to the Keystone state, settling in Swarthmore, where the father passed away February 11, 1915, and where his widow still resides.
During his youthful days John W. Battin largely devoted his attention to the mastery of the branches of learning taught in the graded and high schools of Albany, New York, after which he entered Cornell University at Ithaca and was there graduated with the class of 1890. Returning to his parents' home in
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Omaha, he completed a course in the Omaha Law School with the class of 1893 and at once entered upon practice in this city, since which time he has been closely connected with the bar. Advancement in the law is proverbially slow, yet he has readily worked his way upward, giving proof of his ability to handle important and complex legal questions.
On the 28th of March, 1907, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr. Battin was married to Miss Lila J. Lathrop, a daughter of Hesper Lathrop. They are members of the Episcopal church and Mr. Battin is a Master Mason. He belongs to Delta Upsilon, a college fraternity, and is also identified with the Field Club, the Commercial Club, the Cornell Club of Omaha, and is a member of the Omaha and Nebraska Bar Association. In politics he is a republican and in 1896 was elected to represent Douglas county in the state legislature but did not qualify. His ambition is not in the line of office holding and he prefers that his public service shall be done as a private citizen. In a word he concen- trates his efforts and attention upon his law practice, depending upon his ability in that connection to win him success and advancement. At times, how- ever, he has been active in republican politics but it has been along the line of influence and not of office seeking, his political labors resulting from a recog- nition of the obligations of citizenship.
CHARLES WATSON HULL.
Charles Watson Hull, conducting an extensive and profitable business in coal and building materials, is president of C. W. Hull Co. of Omaha, treasurer of the Hawkeye Portland Cement Company of Des Moines, treasurer of the National Stone Company of Omaha, president of the L. B. McCoun Company of Omaha, president of the Florence Lumber & Coal Company of Florence, Nebraska, and president of the Machine Engineering & Manufacturing Company of Council Bluffs and has thus extended his efforts over a broad field, his ramifying inter- ests interlacing various localities in a network of commercial activity that con- stitutes an important element in commercial progress and enterprise. It is characteristic of him that he has ever quickly recognized and utilized opportuni- ties which others pass heedlessly by and yet sound judgment and keen discrimi- nation have prevented any of those unwarranted risks or failures into which unrestricted progressiveness is so often led.
Mr. Hull was born in Coldwater, Michigan, in 1864, a son of Henry Palmer Hull, who was born in England in 1830 and in 1850 came to the United States, settling in Rochester, New York. He afterward went to New York city and later to Coldwater, Michigan, and in 1872 he removed to Rock Island, Illinois, where he now resides, being connected with its financial interests as vice president of the Rock Island Savings Bank. It was in Detroit, Michigan, that he wedded Elizabeth Watson, who was born in England, and who passed away in 1871.
A lad of eight years at the time of the removal of the family to Rock Island, Charles Watson Hull pursued his education until he had completed the high school course, after which he became a student in the Morgan Park Military Academy of Chicago. Later he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, where for a year he occupied a position in a wholesale implement house, and in 1886 he came to Omaha, where he entered into active connection with the coal and building mate- rial trade. In this field he has since operated, covering a period of thirty years, and as president of the C. W. Hull Co. he is conducting an extensive and con- tinually growing business. He extended the scope of his activities by becoming treasurer of the National Stone Company of Omaha and president of the L. B. McCoun Company of Omaha and of the Florence Lumber & Coal Company of Florence. He also began operations in other fields, carrying on business at Des Moines as treasurer of the Hawkeye Portland Cement Company and president
CHARLES WATSON HULL
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of the Machine Engineering & Manufacturing Company of Council Bluffs. These varied connections have made his interests of mammoth proportions and he is today one of the foremost jobbers in coal and building materials in this section of the country.
Sonie years ago Mr. Hull became a charter member of the Old Omaha Guards, in which he rose to the rank of sergeant major. He is a republican in his politi- cal views and an Episcopalian in his religious faith. He is prominent in club circles in Omaha and elsewhere, being most active as a member of the Univer- sity, Omaha, and Omaha Country clubs. He also belongs to the Commercial Club, to the Carter Lake Rod & Gun Club, to the Council Bluffs Rowing Associa- . tion, to the Des Moines (Ia.) Club, and to the Fremont (Neb.) Country Club. lle is likewise connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Mature judgment characterizes his efforts at all times and he stands today as a splendid representative of commercial activity, to whom, however, business is but one phase of life and does not exclude his active participation in and support of the other vital interests which go to make up human existence.
DANIEL FARRELL.
While the life record of Daniel Farrell covered but a comparatively brief period, he seems to have accomplished in his allotted span of years more than many men accomplish in a lifetime of twice that duration. He was but forty-six when called to the home beyond and yet from a humble start in the business world he had worked his way steadily upward and had achieved notable success in founding and conducting an important productive enterprise. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1851, a son of Daniel Farrell, who afterward became a resident of Galesburg, Illinois. It was in the year 1887 that Daniel Farrell of this review came to Omaha from Keokuk, Iowa. He had previously filled the position of paymaster in the United States navy for a number of years at Naga- saki, Japan, but resigned his position before removing to this city. Here he became actively identified with the industrial development of Omaha, establislı- ing a pressed brick manufactory in the suburbs. This was owned by a company for which Mr. Farrell acted as manager and he was also one of the stock- holders. A few months later, however, he disposed of his interest in that busi- ness and in 1888 turned his attention to the manufacture of syrup at No. IIIO Douglas street. He was first associated with Mr. Welch, as a member of the firm of Farrell & Welch, but after two years he bought out the interest of his partner and organized the Farrell Company. Later a removal was made to Eighth and Farnam streets, where he erected a building, and he extended the scope of his business to include the manufacture of molasses, jellies and other goods. From a small beginning the business has steadily developed until in its ramifying branches it now reaches out all over the country, its shipments being sent to many parts of the United States. The house is represented by traveling salesmen throughout the American continent and the business is growing year by year. Employment is furnished to one hundred people and since the father's death the interests have been continued with his son, D. H. Farrell, as president, treasurer and manager of the business.
In Keokuk, Iowa, in 188t, Daniel Farrell was united in marriage to Miss Anna C. Howard, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and to them were born nine children but only four are yet living: Mrs. Alene Cecelia Cannon, of Los Angeles, California ; Raymond A., living in Portland, Oregon : Daniel Howard; and Irene P., who is the wife of S. B. Young, of Omaha.
Mr. Farrell was a Catholic in religious faith. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he was asked to become a candidate for mayor but refused. He took a helpful interest in matters relating to the general wel-
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fare, however, and to that end cooperated in the progressive movements of the Commercial Club and was also one of the original members of the Ak-Sar-Ben. He belonged also to the Omaha Club. He was one of the organizers of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, being the first man to put money into that venture. At the time of his death he was serving as president of the Omaha Board of Trade and a life of great usefulness was terminated when on the 18th of July, 1897, he was called to his final rest, having then attained the age of but forty- six years. His worth as a business man and citizen was widely acknowledged and it was well known that his aid and cooperation could be counted upon to further every movement of benefit to the community. He early learned the value of industry, determination and persistency of purpose, and the course of life which he marked out accorded full recognition of the worth of those qualities.
DANIEL HOWARD FARRELL.
Daniel Howard Farrell, president, treasurer and manager of the Farrell Company, controlling one of the important productive industries of Omaha, was born in Omaha in 1890 and supplemented a public school education by two years' study in Notre Dame University of Indiana and a further course in Creighton University of Omaha. He was graduated from the law department of that institution, but though qualified for the bar, he never entered upon active practice. Instead he became his father's successor in business and has since been connected with the further development of one of the city's important industries. The business has been enlarged from time to time and in connection with the man11- facture of jellies and molasses the company manufactures its own cans. Its trade extends to all sections of the country and in the year 1916 the sales amounted to three hundred thousand dollars. In 1910 a removal of the plant was made to Dodge and Tenth streets and the establishment is well equipped according to modern methods and processes. Associated with Mr. Farrell in the management and control of the business is George J. Braig, who is the vice president and sec- retary of the company.
Mr. Farrell was united in marriage in Omaha, in 1912, to Miss Annette Lady, of this city, and they have a son, John Van Buren. Mr. Farrell figures very prominently in club circles, holding membership in the University, Athletic and Field Clubs. He also belongs to the Ak-Sar-Ben and to the Commercial Club and thus takes active interest in promoting projects that look to the estab- lishment of higher civic standards and to the extension of the trade relations of the city. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has always stood for progressiveness not only in business but in municipal affairs, and he is justly accounted one of the valued and representa- tive residents of Omaha.
CHARLES C. GEORGE.
Charles C. George, president of the firm of George & Company, real estate and investment securities, is also an officer in various other business organizations. He was born in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1863, a son of John W. and Mary E. (Younger) George, who were married in Ohio. The father was born in Musk- ingum county, that state, in 1826, and throughout his entire active life followed the occupation of farming. He was a son of John George, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was of English lineage. The death of John W. George occurred in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1914, while his wife passed away in 1908.
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After attending the public schools in Galesburg Charles C. George continued his education in Knox College of that city, from which he was graduated with the class of 1885. He then came to Omaha and entered the real estate and investment field, since which time he has given his attention to real estate opera- tions and investment securities. In 1890 the Potter & George Company was incorporated, Mr. George becoming the secretary and manager, in which con- nection he remained until 1900, when he and his brother, John Edward George, took over the business of the corporation and changed the name to George & Company, and since that time Charles C. George has been the president. He is a director and vice president of the Conservative Savings & Loan Association, having been active in the upbuilding of that association and connected with it since 1893. He is also president of the Dundee Realty Company, is president of the City National Bank Building Company, and in all these corporations owns substantial interests.
On the 14th of December, 1905, in Chicago, Mr. George was united in mar- riage to Miss Idella Louise Hamlin and they have a daughter, Mary. The parents are members of the Episcopal church and Mr. George is a vestryman of Trinity Cathedral. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he belongs to the Commercial Club, being chairman of the executive committee of that organization in 1917. He also has membership in the Happy Hollow and Omaha Country Clubs, and in the Omaha and University Clubs, of which last named club he was president during 1916. He is a man of unusual energy and has used his time and opportunities not only in the attainment of business suc- cess but in the cultivation of those interests which bring intellectual pleasure or which are based upon a recognition of man's relations to his fellowmen. His life therefore has maintained an even balance and words of appreciation and worth are ever coupled with the mention of his name.
FRANK J. SCHLEIER, M. D.
Dr. Frank J. Schleier, a physician of Omaha, was born in Cassville, Wiscon- sin, in 1877. His father, Michael Schleier, a native of Germany, was born in 1830 and when eighteen years of age came to the United States in 1848, settling first in Wisconsin. There he married Catherine Koll, who was born in Germany, and some years later they became residents of Iowa, the father passing away at Earling, that state, in 1911. His widow still survives, now making her home at Defiance, Iowa. Throughout his entire business career the father had followed the occupation of farming.
Dr. Schleier was a little lad of but five summers when the family went to Earling, Iowa, where he pursued his public school education, which was supple- mented by study in the Normal University at Lincoln, Nebraska. In preparation for a professional career he entered the Creighton Medical College of Omaha, from which he was graduated in 1904, and later he spent a year as interne in St. Joseph's Hospital of Omaha, gaining thereby the broad practical knowledge and experience which only hospital work can bring. He has since practiced in Omaha and has specialized in surgical work. He is now attending surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital and is a lecturer on surgery in Creighton College. He has studied broadly along the line of his specialty, keeping in touch with the most advanced work of the eminent surgeons of this and other lands. In 1911 he became county physician of Douglas county, which position he filled for three years.
On the 10th of August, 1910, in Sioux City, Iowa, Dr. Schleier was united in marriage to Miss Ellen M. Minogue, daughter of John and Johannah (Carey) Minogue. In religious faith they are Catholics and in political belief Dr. Schleier is a republican. He belongs to the Athletic Club of Omaha and to the Com-
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mercial Club, and while interested in all matters relating to the public welfare, he allows nothing to interfere with the faithful performance of his professional duties, which he ably and conscientiously discharges. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Nebraska State Medical Association and the Omaha-Douglas County Medical Society and thus he keeps in touch with the trend of modern professional thought and progress.
JOHN FOSTER FLACK.
Starting out in life on his own account at the early age of eleven years, John Foster Flack has since been dependent entirely upon his individual exertions, but he early became familiar with the eternal principle that industry wins and industry became the beacon light of his life. Not all days in his career have been equally bright, for obstacles and difficulties have at times barred his path and there have been periods when he has seen the storm clouds gathering, threat- ening disaster, but his perseverance and persistency have enabled him to sur- mount all obstacles and win a creditable and enviable position as a leading Omaha financier. Moreover, his efforts have been of a character that have contributed largely to the public welfare, as various concerns with which he has been con- nected have become factors in the business development of the city.
Mr. Flack was born in Cambridge, New York, March 24, 1863, and traces his ancestry back in direct line to James Flack, who was his great-great-grand- father and who came to the United States about 1750 from the north of Ireland. John W. Flack, his grandfather, was a soldier of the War of 1812. His father, George H. Flack, was born in Argyle, New York, in 1832 and there wedded Martha Foster. They continued residents of the Empire state until called to the home beyond, the mother passing away in 1868, while the father survived until June, 1885. In the maternal line the ancestry is traced back to James Ashton, who was the great-great-grandfather of John F. Flack and who became an officer in the Revolutionary war, serving throughout the period of hostilities with the mother country that led to the independence of the nation.
At the usual age John Foster Flack began his education in the public schools of New York but when a lad of only eleven years he felt that parental authority was irksome and moreover was imbued with the desire for adventure, so he left home. Being thus thrown on his own resources, he was employed on farms until 1880, when he entered the Claverick College and Hudson River Institute at Claverick, New York, from which institution he was graduated in 1884. In that same year he came to Omaha and in March, 1885, he entered the produce commission business, at 105 South Fourteenth street, his previous farm experi- ence giving him considerable knowledge of the value of farm products. After two years spent in that way he entered the real estate field and so successfully placed his investments and managed his property that before he was twenty- five years of age he had bought, built and sold one hundred houses. It was a logical step to the building and loan business, which he entered in 1893 as man- ager of the Conservative Savings & Loan Association, the interests of which he controlled in that official connection until 1908, when he sold out. In 1906 he had become secretary and vice president of the Occidental Building & Loan Association and in 1908 he was elected to the presidency, still remaining as its chief executive officer and directing head. In 1913 he was elected to the presi- dency of the Bankers Mortgage Loan Company, which was organized in 1912. This indicates but some of the features of his business activity, however. In 1908 he aided in organizing the City Trust Company, of which he continued as president until February, 1915, when he resigned. In 1901 he became one of the organizers of the syndicate which was formed in Omaha and which purchased the Omaha Loan & Trust Company's Savings Bank, at which time the name was
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