USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 30
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JOHN F. FLACK
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changed to the City Savings Bank. Mr. Flack became its vice president and in 1906 was elected to the presidency, so continuing until 1908, when the institution was converted into the City National Bank, of which he remained president until March 27, 1916. He then sold out to the German-American Bank, which later was merged into the State Bank, now existing. His business interests have con- stantly grown and developed and the methods which he has followed have at all times been such as would bear the closest investigation and scrutiny. His plans have been well devised and carefully executed and his success has followed a thorough understanding of business conditions in the specific line in which he has operated.
On the 29th of December, 1886, in Salem, New York, Mr. Flack was united in marriage to Miss Carrie J. Sherman, a daughter of Jesse S. Sherman. They have two children : George C., who is treasurer of the Occidental Building & Loan Association and treasurer of the Bankers Mortgage Loan Company ; and Henri- etta Lois, the wife of Miles McFayden, who is the secretary of the Bankers Mortgage Loan Company and by whom she has a daughter, Lois Caroline.
Mr. Flack is a republican and he has membership in the Commercial Club, the Omaha Club, the Country Club, the Happy Hollow Club, the University Club and the United Presbyterian church-associations which indicate the nature of his interests and show that his activities have not been centered alone in lines of individual benefit but have reached out into those fields where assistance is given to the many and toward the promotion of the general good.
IRVIN ANDREW MEDLAR.
Irvin Andrew Medlar, secretary and treasurer of the Irvin A. Medlar Com- pany, owners and publishers of the Mid-West Hotel Reporter and the Omaha Hotel Reporter and also conducting a profitable job printing business, was born upon a farm in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and represents an old family of that state, of German lineage, which was founded in America by his great- grandfather. His grandfather, Samuel Medlar, was born in Pennsylvania, as was his father, John Christopher Medlar, also a native of Schuylkill county, where he was reared and married Rebecca Seltzer. At the time of the Civil war he espoused the cause of the Union and went to the front with a Pennsylvania regiment. For years he filled the office of postmaster at Drehersville, Pennsyl- vania, where he died in 1912, his widow passing away November 19, 1916.
In his youthful days Irvin A. Medlar attended the district schools and for five years continued his education in Marion county, Kansas. He then returned to the old home in Pennsylvania with his parents and became a pupil in the public schools of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the county seat of Schuylkill county. He afterward learned the printer's trade on the Pottsville Republican, with which paper he was connected for three or four years. Later he went to Newton, Kansas, and became connected with the Newton Republican, in which office he was advanced to the position of foreman, remaining there for about four years. At Kansas City, Missouri, he became connected with the Star and in the fall of 1891 he removed to Omaha and entered the employ of the Omaha Printing Company, with which he remained for a year or more, when the establishment was destroyed by fire. He went into business on his own account in 1892, estab- lishing the Omaha Daily Hotel Reporter, and a year later added a book and job printing department. At the same time he incorporated the busniess under the name of the Irvin A. Medlar Company, of which he is the secretary and treasurer. Something of the growth of his business is indicated in the fact that he not only publishes the Omaha Hotel Reporter but also the Mid-West Hotel Reporter, which is now in the eleventh volume, and that he is a prominent and popular figure in hotel circles and widely known in that connection is indi- Vol. II-13
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cated in the fact that he is the secretary-treasurer of the Northwestern Hotel Men's Association for the fourteenth year.
On the 8th of May, 1894, in Omaha, Mr. Medlar was united in marriage to Miss Lotta Josephine Jenkins, her father being Clarence I .. Jenkins, a pioneer of Omaha. To them have been born two children: Henrietta Cordelia; and Irvin Frank, whose birth occurred in 1899.
In early manhood Mr. Medlar was connected with the National Guard of Kansas at Newton and served as a drummer in his regiment. He is a republican in his political views and fraternally is a Master Mason and Knight of Pythias. He belongs to the Happy Hollow Club, the Athletic Club of Omaha, the Sons of Veterans in Kansas, the Commercial Club of Omaha and the Ak-Sar-Ben. Diversified and varied as are the interests thus indicated, they do not compass the entire extent of his activities, for he belongs also to the Central United Presbyterian church and his life in all its varied relations measures up to high standards of manhood and citizenship.
ELMER JAMES NEVILLE.
Elmer James Neville, who since 1898 has practiced at the Omaha bar, was in that year graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan. He is a native son of the city in which he resides, his birth having here occurred April 24, 1874. While spending his youthful days in the home of his father, James Neville, he attended the public schools and then for further educational training entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, from which institu- tion he was graduated in 1896 on the completion of a classical course, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree. Two years later he was graduated in law from the same school and then returned to Omaha, where he opened an office. The fact that he has continued in practice for eighteen years is proof of his success and gradually in this connection he has worked his way upward. He has come to display resourcefulness in the work of the courts and at all times his position is fortified by thorough preparation and a clear and comprehensive understand- ing of legal principles.
In 1896, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mr. Neville was united in marriage to Miss Clara Markham, and they have become the parents of five children, Florence Anna, Eugene J., Maria Emeline, Elmer Markham and Norman Lewis. Mr. Neville is a chapter Mason and in his political views is a republican but he allows no outside interests to interfere with the performance of his professional duties.
IRVING FRANKLIN BAXTER.
Irving Franklin Baxter, member of the Omaha bar practicing as a member of the firm of Brown, Baxter & Van Dusen, was born in Liverpool, New York, January 11, 1863, a son of George and Amie C. (Sitts) Baxter. The father was born in Borodino, New York, in 1840, and for years was engaged in the lumber business, while later he turned his attention to real estate activities. He served as supervisor of the town of Liverpool, New York, and was once defeated for the legislature. His wife passed away in February, 1916.
Irving F. Baxter, after attending the Liverpool Academy and the Syracuse (N. Y.) high school, took up the study of law in the office of Frank Hiscock, former United States senator from Syracuse, and after thorough preliminary reading was admitted to practice at the New York bar in 1887. In July of that year he came to Omaha and in January, 1888, entered into partnership with
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Charles J. Greene and Charles H. Marple. A year later the firm became Greene & Baxter and so continued until January, 1894, when Mr. Baxter was elected county judge of Douglas county and served for three terms or six years. In the fall of 1899 he was chosen by popular suffrage for the office of district judge of the fourth judicial district and in 1904 high compliment to his ability was accorded him in a reelection without opposition. He continued upon the district bench until April, 1905, when he resigned to accept the position of United States attorney for Nebraska at Omaha. While in that office he entered into a partnership that resulted in the organization of the firm of Baxter & Van Dusen. In July, 1912, the junior partner retired and Hon. Norris Brown, then United States senator, joined Mr. Baxter under the firm name of Brown, Baxter & Van Dusen, although Mr. Van Dusen died in February, 1916, and had had no connection with the firm since 1912. The name, however, was retained and his son, Dana Van Dusen, entered the firm in September, 1916. This is recog- nized as one of the prominent law firms of Omaha, the ability of its members placing it in the front rank among the city's ablest attorneys and counselors. Mr. Baxter's law firm is attorney for the Pullman Company, for the Union Stock Yards, the Howard Stove Works and the Interstate Hotel Company and he has largely concentrated his efforts and attention upon corporation law. He is a director of the Interstate Hotel Company, operating Hotel Fontenelle.
On the 26th of September, 1888, at Liverpool, New York, Mr. Baxter was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary Cornelia Gleason, a daughter of William and Cornelia (Jackson) Gleason, both of whom were born in Elmira, New York. Her father held the rank of lieutenant in the Forty-ninth New York Volunteer Infantry and served throughout the entire period of the Civil war. After receiv- ing wounds he was transferred to the quartermaster's department.
Judge Baxter is a member of the Christian Science church and fraternally is identified with the Royal Arcanum, the Woodmen of the World and the Elks. He is also a member of the Omaha Club, the University Club, the Happy Hollow Country Club, the Athletic Club and the Commercial Club. His political allegi- ance is given to the republican party and he has frequently been a delegate to its state conventions, his opinions carrying weight in its councils. Those who know him entertain for him the warmest regard by reason of his notable ability in professional lines and also because of his sterling personal worth. He is hon- ored and respected by all and the value of his work along many lines relating to the general welfare has made him naturally a leader of public thought and opinion.
GEORGE McGREGOR TUNISON.
George McGregor Tunison, practicing at the Omaha bar as a member of the firm of Jefferis & Tunison, was born at Parkersburg, Iowa, December 20, 1882, his parents being James Wellington and Catherine (McGregor) Tunison. The former was a nephew of Henry C. Tunison, the map publisher of Chicago, and was his representative in the west.
The family removed to Nebraska in 1888 and George M. Tunison attended the public schools of Cozad, graduating therefrom in 1899. Later he entered the State University and was graduated therefrom in 1906 on completion of the classical course. He next took up the study of law at the State University and won his professional degree upon graduation in 1908. He located at Omaha 011 the Ist of January, 1909, and became associated with the firm of Jefferis & How- ell, consisting of Albert W. Jefferis and Francis S. Howell. When the latter was appointed United States district attorney for Nebraska in 1910 Mr. Tunison entered the firm under the style of Jefferis, Howell & Tunison. In 1911 and 1912 he was engaged in determining heirs of deceased Indian allottees in Nebraska
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and Wyoming as special attorney for the secretary of the interior. In such capacity he passed on the titles to over four hundred estates, comprising some of the most valuable agricultural lands in Nebraska. The present firm of Jefferis & Tunison was formed October 1, 1912. They are attorneys for the Shoshone tribe of Indians of Wyoming, in the presentation of matters before congress and the interior department. Their general practice is important and extensive and Mr. Tunison has won an enviable position at a bar which numbers many dis- tinguished attorneys.
On the 4th of August, 1915, in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Tunison was married to Miss Otis Wakefield Hassler, a daughter of John N. Hassler, and a lineal descendant of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. They are members of the Dundee Presbyterian church and Mr. Tunison is also a Master Mason, a member of the Commercial Club, the University Club and the Barristers Club. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the principles and candidates of the republican party. In the campaign of 1908 he managed the speakers bureau for the republican state committee at Lincoln and since then has actively assisted in the work for party success. Office holding, however, has had no attraction for him as he has preferred to concentrate his efforts and attention upon his professional interests, and in that field he has won a creditable place.
ROBERT F. KLOKE.
Robert F. Kloke, president of The Kloke Investment Company, handling farm lands and loans at Omaha, was born in Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, in 1860. His father, Frederick Kloke, was born in Westphalia, Germany, in 1810 and there married Elisabeth Fobbe. In 1848 they came to the United States, establishing their home in Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, where they lived for two decades and then removed to Cuming county, Nebraska. After residing there for several years upon a farm they took up their abode in Westpoint, the county seat of that county, and there the father passed away in 1873, while the mother's death occurred in 1903.
Robert F. Kloke was a little lad of but eight years at the time of the removal of the family to this state, so that his education was largely acquired in the public schools of Westpoint, although later he attended a business college at Green Bay, Wisconsin. Returning to Westpoint, he there embarked in the real estate and farm loan business in 1881 and remained active along that line for twenty-four years. In 1887 he organized the Cuming County Bank at West- point, of which he became the president. In 1889 the name of the institution was changed to the Nebraska State Bank and its capital was increased. Follow- ing the reorganization Mr. Kloke continued as the president and remained in that position until he disposed of his interests there and removed to Omaha in 1905, seeking the broader field of labor offered by a larger city. He still continues in the investment business and is now president of the Kloke Investment Company, dealers in farm lands and loans. A liberal clientage has been accorded and the business is extensive, while the methods of the house ensure absolute fidelity to the interests of the clients.
In September, 1884, at Westpoint, Mr. Kloke wedded Miss Amelia Rosenthal, a daughter of Charles and Theresa Rosenthal, both natives of Austria but now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kloke have a daughter, Mona M., the wife of Louis S. Clarke, of Omaha, and they have one child, Robert Louis, born July 10, 1911.
The family attend the Congregational church, and Mr. Kloke holds member- ship with the Elks, the Rotary Club, the Omaha Country Club and the Commer- cial Club. He is a stalwart advocate of republican principles and has been more or less active in political affairs. While at Westpoint he served for fifteen years
ROBERT F. KLOKE
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as a member of the school board and was its president during seven or eight years of that period. He was also mayor of Westpoint for one term and in 1893 became a member of the state legislature, representing Cuming and two other counties. He has also been a member of the republican state central committee and his opinions have carried weight in the councils of his party. He studies closely the vital questions and issues of the day and his opinions are discriminating, while his loyalty to the party is unfaltering.
JOHN D. WEAVER.
John D. Weaver, secretary of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, at Omaha, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, July 5. 1851, a son of John and Sarah Ann ( Miller ) Weaver, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of the Buckeye state. They were married in Ohio and their last days were spent in Indiana.
With the removal of the family to Terre Haute, Indiana, John D. Weaver became a pupil in the public schools of that city and afterward continued his education at Indianapolis. His early manhood was devoted to newspaper work in Peoria and in Quincy, Illinois, until 1887, when he came to Omaha, where he secured a position with the Herald, now the World-Herald. He was afterward connected with the Omaha Bee but resigned his position with that paper in 1911 to enter upon his present relation with the Knights of the Ak-Sar-Ben, of which he has since been the secretary. This is an organization composed largely of Mystic Shriners whose purpose is both social and civic. They are putting forth every effort to advance Nebraska's interests and upbuilding and each year they hold in Omaha a parade and fiesta similar to that of the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. As secretary of the organization Mr. Weaver largely manages its business affairs and his previous newspaper experience and his personal qual- ities render him well qualified for the work which he has undertaken in this connection.
On the 13th of April, 1876, in Terre Haute, Indiana, Mr. Weaver was married to Miss Louise Sattler, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they have two daughters : Cora Louise, the wife of Ralph E. Hayward, of Omaha ; and Carrie May, who married Guy L. Smith.
Mr. Weaver is a republican in his political views. He belongs to the Benev- olent Protective Order of Elks and he is likewise associated with the Carter Lake Club and the Omaha Athletic Club. Genial in manner, he is always approachable and he has the tact which enables him to readily understand others and place them at their ease. He is particularly capable in his present position and is regarded as a most worthy Knight of the Ak-Sar-Ben.
HON. EDWARD EVERETT HOWELL.
Hon. Edward Everett Howell, a member of the Nebraska state senate and well known in business circles of Omaha as head of the firm of E. E. Howell & Son, coal and insurance, and vice president of the National Security Fire Insurance Company, was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1860, a son of Samuel James and Anna (Everett) Howell, who were also natives of that country. The father's birth occurred in Ontario in 1834 and in the year 1869 he left that coun- try and with his family crossed the border into the United States, establishing his home upon a farm in Cass county, Nebraska, where he resided until 187.4. He then came to Omaha and was actively engaged in the insurance business in this city up to the time of his death in 1892 as a member of the firm of S. J. Howell
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& Son. His wife passed away in 1906 in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she and her daughter were residing.
The educational opportunities of Edward E. Howell were somewhat limited as it seemed necessary that he provide for his own support when a youth of fourteen. He secured employment as driver of a milk wagon and spent three years in that way. He then entered his father's insurance office and has since been continuously connected with the insurance business, steadily working his way upward until he now occupies a most prominent position in insurance circles. He conducts a general insurance business and has been elected to the office of vice president of the National Security Fire Insurance Company of Omaha. In 1880 he broadened the field of his labors by taking up the business of retailing coal and in that connection has built up a trade of large and gratifying propor- tions. Since 1908 his interests have been conducted under the firm style of E. E. Howell & Son.
On the 15th of December. 1887, at Weeping Water, Nebraska, Mr. Howell was united in marriage to Miss Anna L. Gilbert, a daughter of the late Elias Gilbert, a native of New York, who served with a New York regiment through- out the period of the Civil war. Mrs. Howell died July 12, 1896. Two children, Samuel James and Helen Frances were born to this marriage. On September 2, 1900, Mr. Howell was again married at Crete, Nebraska, to Pauline Burri, daughter of Jacob Burri of that place. Four children have been born to them, Bessie Marie, Amy, Edward E., Jr., and John Searle.
Mr. Howell is a member of All Saints' Protestant Episcopal church. In politics he is a democrat and in 1891 he was elected to the city council of Omaha from the seventh ward and served for two consecutive terms as alderman. In 1896 he was elected to the state senate and in 1897 was the democratic nominee for mayor of Omaha but was defeated. In 1903 he was again nominated by his party for that position but again met defeat. In 1908 he was elected state sena- tor and served for one term and in 1914 and 1916 he was again called to that position, thus taking an active part in making the legislative history of the commonwealth. From 1896 until 1904 he was chairman of the Douglas county central committee and he has long been a recognized leader in the ranks of his party in Nebraska's metropolis. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Woodmen of the World. He belongs also to the Carter Lake Club and is connected with the Commercial Club and the Ak-Sar-Ben, two organizations which were formed primarily for the benefit, upbuilding and advancement of the city. He is actuated in all that he does by a public-spirited devotion to the general good and he has ever placed the general welfare before partisanship and the interests of city and state before self-aggrandizement.
WILLIAM JOSEPH HOTZ.
William Joseph Hotz, whose ability in the practice of law is attested in court records, which bear evidence of his successful conduct of many important cases, was born in Iowa City, Iowa, October 15, 1885, a son of William J. and Matilda (Ward) Hotz, who were also natives of Iowa City, where the mother still resides. There they were reared and married, and the father, who was born July 7. 1853, passed away April 9, 1901. At the time of his death he was engaged in the manufacture of lubricating oils in Iowa City. For a number of years he filled the office of clerk of the district court of Johnson county, Iowa, and at the time of his demise was a candidate for the nomination for congress- man in the second Iowa district on the democratic ticket. He had served for several years as a member of the city council and was recognized as a democratic leader in the eastern part of the state.
WILLIAM J. HOTZ
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In the public schools of his native city William J. Hotz pursued his early education, which he supplemented by study in the Iowa State University, winning the Bachelor of Arts degree on graduation with the class of 1908. The follow- ing year he was also graduated from the law department of the same institution. He afterward traveled for about a year and in the latter part of 1909 came to Omaha, where he has since remained in active practice, having been admitted to practice in the state and federal courts. He maintains his law offices at 1530-35 City National Bank building. For about three years prior to the annexation of Dundee to Omaha, Mr. Hotz was attorney for the vil- lage, during which period improvements to the value of more than one million dollars were made, and in connection with other public officials Mr. Hotz worked untiringly to bring about ideal conditions in the method of carrying on the work of public improvements, so that the Dundee municipal bonds always found a ready market. He has been connected with much important litigation that has established his ability and resourcefulness as a prac- titioner before the courts. He appeared as attorney in the United States court in litigation involving the Sherman anti-trust law and obtained for his clients large financial results, demonstrating the practicability of the Sherman law as a method of obtaning relief from unfair competition in interstate business. He was also active in securing the evidence in the election contest case, which introduced into the legislature of 1913 the written evidence and proof of existing election conditions in Omaha, the result of which was the passage of the present laws governing elections in cities of the metropolitan class. He is spoken of in the highest terms by his professional colleagues and contemporaries, who recog- nize him as a foe worthy of the steel of the ablest.
On the 17th of April, 1912, in Sioux City, Iowa, Mr. Hotz was married to Miss Florence Josephine Lynch, a daughter of J. M. Lynch. Mr. Hotz belongs to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a college fraternity, and his interest in community affairs is indicated by his membership in the Commercial Club of Omaha. He is likewise a member of the Athletic Club of the city, the American Bar Associa- tion, the Barristers Club, and the Omaha Bar Association. He has always been most careful to conform his practice to, a high standard of professional ethics and his ability is most widely recognized.
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