USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 34
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Clinton Joy Sutphen passed through consecutive grades in the Omaha public schools until graduated from the high school with the class of 1903 and in the same year he became assistant treasurer of Boyd's theatre, being thus employed for six months. He was then transferred to Sioux City, Iowa, where he was treasurer of the Grand Opera House, owned by the same people who had charge of the Boyd theatre of Omaha. After three months spent in Sioux City he was transferred by the same company to St. Joseph, Missouri, as treasurer of the Tootle theatre, of which he had charge for six months. Returning to Omaha for the summer of 1905, he was later manager for the Woodward Stock Com- pany on the road for a season, and in the spring of 1906 he traveled ahead of a musical show for three months. This stranded, however, in Marquette, Mich- igan, and soon afterward Mr. Sutphen obtained the position of advertising agent for the Sun Brothers Circus. He occupied that position for seven months, ter- minating his connection therewith in Florida in the winter of 1906. He spent the winter in Macon, Georgia, and next obtained the position of advance agent of a repertoire show company, traveling through the south. In ten weeks he managed to save enough money to get back to Omaha, where he accepted a clerk- ship in the cigar store owned by his brother-in-law. The following fall he was again upon the road and in 1907-8 he was in Council Bluffs as manager of the New Theatre and the posting plant there, owned by A. B. Beall of Sioux City. In March, 1910, he returned to Omaha as business manager of the Brandeis theatre, which position he has since occupied. He possesses dynamic force and never waits for a position to come to him but goes after it, and if he cannot get what he wants, takes the next best. He is resolute, energetic and determined and he is a popular and well known figure in theatre circles.
On the 14th of August, 1913, in Omaha, Mr. Sutphen was united in mar- riage to Mrs. Irene Mowes, nee Matters, daughter of Thomas H. Matters. By her former marriage Mrs. Sutphen had three children: Thomas H., Gertrude Irene and Frank. Mr. Sutphen attends the Episcopal church and he belongs to the Rotary Club. In politics he maintains an independent course, voting accord- ing to the dictates of his judgment in relation to the situation.
FRED G. MOORE.
Fred G. Moore, well known in commercial circles in Omaha as secretary of the Yetter-Moore Company, wholesale and retail dealers in wall papers, draperies and decorative materials, has in the conduct of his business directed his efforts along modern commercial lines of enterprise, resulting in successful achievement. A native of Iowa, he was born at Laporte City, September 20, 1877, and comes of an old Puritan family of New England. His great-grandfather in the paternal line was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, while his grandfather served Ameri- can interests in the War of 1812. The earliest records show John Moore to have been a member of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Later members of the family removed to New York and to Pennsylvania, while settlement was subse- quently made in Ohio and in Indiana. It was in the last named state, near South Bend, that Andrew Y. Moore, father of Fred G. Moore, was born September
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25, 1833, and his life record covered the intervening years to the 7th of Novem- ber, 1907, when he passed away at the age of seventy-four. He was an alternate from Michigan to the republican national convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lavina Vore and was born January 23, 1843, is still living.
Fred G. Moore pursued his education in the schools of his native city until he had completed the high school course, after which he won the Bachelor of Arts degree at Dixon College in Dixon, Illinois, as a member of the class of 1898. He afterward spent a year as a student in the law department of Drake Uni- versity at Des Moines, lowa, and in 1913 came to Omaha, where he now figures prominently in commercial circles as the secretary of the Yetter-Moore Com- pany, carrying a large line of wall papers, draperies and decorative materials, which they sell to both the wholesale and retail trades. They have one of the leading establishments of this character not only in the city but in this section of the country, their stock showing all the latest designs and materials that the market affords. Their patronage is steadily growing and their reliable business methods commend them to the support of the public.
At Dixon, Illinois, on the 27th of November, 1901, Mr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Sadie U. Brubaker, a daughter of the late J. A. Brubaker, of Dixon, who for many years was connected with the Pillsbury Milling Com- pany of Minneapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have become the parents of three children: Brett Frederick, born January 23, 1904; Jessie Mildred, March 19, 1907; and John Hamilton, August 18, 1913.
In politics Mr. Moore is a republican, well versed on the questions of the day but without ambition for office. He belongs to the Christian Science church and he has membership with the Rotary Club, the Commercial Club and the Sales Managers' Association. He has always studied plans and methods bear- ing upon trade conditions and the development of his individual business inter- ests and in all that he undertakes is notably prompt, energetic and reliable.
AMOS THOMAS.
This is preeminently an age of specialization. Seldom does one at the present time attempt to cover the broad field of a profession but concentrates his energies along a particular line and thereby gains the efficiency which concentrated effort brings. In keeping with this now universal custom Amos Thomas in his law practice has specialized in the field of corporation law and his practice of that character is now extensive and important.
Mr. Thomas is a native of Wisconsin, his birth having occurred in Milwau- kee, August 30, 1882. His father, Joseph Amos Thomas, was born in Milwaukee in 1855 and was there married to Miss Addie Margaret Neilson, likewise a native of that city. In 1886 they came to Nebraska, settling in Tamora, where the father engaged in banking as president of the Tamora State Bank, but he has now retired from business and he and his wife have become residents of Lincoln.
In the graded schools of Tamora and the high school of Lincoln Amos Thomas pursued his preliminary education and afterward entered the Nebraska State University for the study of law, completing the course by graduation in 1909, at which time the LL. B. degree was conferred upon him. Immediately afterward he was admitted to the bar and opened an office in Omaha, where he has since remained in practice. For a time he gave his attention to general law practice but soon began concentrating his energies upon corporation law work and in that field is today active, representing many important business and commercial concerns.
Mr. Thomas has an interesting military record, having been for five or six years a member of Troop A of the Nebraska National Guard at Seward, in which
AMOS THOMAS
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he rose to the rank of second lieutenant but resigned on leaving that county. He is well known in fraternal and club circles. He is a Knight Templar Mason and in the blue lodge is serving as junior deacon. He belongs to several college fraternities, including the Phi Delta Theta, the Phi Delta Phi and Theta Nu Epsilon. He is a member of the Viking Club of Lincoln, of the University Club of Omaha and the Council Bluffs Boat Club. In politics he is a stalwart and active republican, serving as secretary of the republican state central committee in 1912 and as chairman of the republican central committee of Douglas county from 1914 until July 24, 1916. He was a delegate to the republican state con- ventions in both 1912 and 1914 and in 1916 was elected a member of the state central committee. While he ranks as one of the active and forceful workers in republican ranks he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking, his efforts being prompted by his recognition of the duties of citizenship and a public-spirited devotion to the general good. His professional connections are with the Barrister's Club, the Omaha Bar Association, the Nebraska State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
LUCIEN STEPHENS.
Lucien Stephens, whose name is prominently known in connection with mercantile interests in Omaha, was born July 15, 1861, at Rocheport, Boone county, Missouri, his parents being William and Mary Willis (Griffin) Stephens. With the removal of the family to Omaha during his boyhood days, he obtained his public school education here and afterward had the benefit of instruction in De Pauw University at Greencastle, Indiana. Early in his business career he was employed by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and also by the Union Pacific Railway Companies, and he also engaged in newspaper reporting before entering upon his present mercantile venture. In this connection he has sus- tained the reputation established by his father, who in 1864 became a pioneer merchant of Omaha. The name of Stephens has since been a synonym for pro- gressiveness and enterprise along mercantile lines and the interests controlled by the family have been large and important.
On the 15th of October, 1888, in Omaha, Mr. Stephens was united in mar- riage to Miss Julia Bissell Smith, representing a Connecticut family. Mr. and Mrs. Stephens are members of the Episcopal church and in his political views he is a democrat. He belongs to the Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity, to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and to the Omaha Club. He is interested in affairs of general moment and is now serving as a director of the Omaha public library. His interests, of a varied character, have always been such as have contributed to general development and improvement.
J. E. SIMPSON, M. D.
Dr. J. E. Simpson won his professional degree in Creighton University in 1908 and has since engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Omaha, his native city. He was born April 14, 1871, and was the elder of the two children of Albert E. and Mary (Burke) Simpson, both of whom were natives of New York. Coming to Omaha during the pioneer period of its development, Albert E. Simpson settled on Farnam street in 1865 and in 1868 the mother arrived in this city. Mr. Simpson devoted his attention to the cigar business, establishing one of the first cigar factories of the city, and continued active along that line until 1881, when he sold out. He died in 1883. During the Civil war he joined the Tenth New York Regiment as a private and served for
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two years during the latter part of that conflict. His widow is still living at the age of sixty-six years. The daughter of the family, Jessie M. Simpson. passed away in 1904.
Reared in Omaha, Dr. Simpson supplemented his early education by a course in the Creighton Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1908. He then began practice in his native city and has since remained a mem- ber of the medical profession, in which connection he has worked his way steadily upward, his orderly progression bringing him into a prominent position. his ability being widely recognized by colleagues and contemporaries. He is identified with various hospitals and he is a member of the Douglas County, the Nebraska State and the American Medical Associations.
On the 3d of March, 1901, Dr. Simpson was married in Omaha to Miss Anna C. Peterson, who was born in Omaha, July 13, 1873, and is a daughter of John C. and M. Peterson. Dr. and Mrs. Simpson have one child, Irene W., born in Omaha in February, 1902, and now a high school pupil.
Dr. Simpson votes with the republican party but has had neither the time nor inclination to seek public office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his professional duties, which have been of constantly growing volume and importance. He is today one of Omaha's leading physicians, widely known and popular and enjoying a well deserved reputation. He is very conscientious in the discharge of his professional duties and possesses ready sympathy and intuition which, added to his comprehensive knowledge, make him a power in the sick room. He is a member of a number of fraternal organizations and for twenty-four years has belonged to the Masonic fraternity. He has been very active in the work of the craft, has taken both the York and Scottish Rite degrees, has been presiding officer of every Masonic body to which he belongs and in fact has received all the honors which those organizations have the power to confer upon him. He has also been a leading member of the Wood- men of the World. His wife has been prominent in the order of the Eastern Star for twenty years, during sixteen years of which time she was grand secre- tary of the state. She is now holding the office of associate grand matron of Nebraska.
WILLARD DEERE HOSFORD.
Various corporate interests profit by the cooperation of Willard Deere Hos- ford, whose business career has been characterized by indefatigable effort and discriminating judgment. Since 1906 he has resided in Omaha and through- out the intervening period has been connected with the John Deere Plow Com- pany, of which he is now the treasurer. lowa numbers him among her native sons, his birth having occurrd in Clinton in 1882. In tracing the ancestral line it is found that the family is of English origin although the grandfather, Dr. Willard Hosford, spent his entire life in New Hampshire. His son, Schiller Hosford, who was born in Orford, New Hampshire, in 1856, was married in Moline, Illinois, to Miss Floy Mabel Chapman, whose mother was a daughter of the late John Deere, a native of Massachusetts and the founder of the great farm machinery manufactory of John Deere & Company. Prior to his mar- riage Schiller Hosford became a resident of Clinton, Iowa, where the family remained for a number of years, but his last days were passed in New York city, where he passed away in 1912, having for eight years survived his wife, who died in Moline, Illinois, in 1904.
After attending the public schools of his native city Willard D. Hosford continued his education in the Phillips Exeter Academy of New Hampshire, from which he was graduated with the class of 1902. He then entered Yale and completed his course with the class of 1906. Returning to the middle west
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in search of a favorable business opening, he came to Omaha and has since been identified with the John Deere Plow Company, in which relation his developing ability has brought him successive promotions. In 1910 he was made treasurer of the company and is now bending his energies to administra- tive direction and executive control of the mammoth interests promoted and conducted by that corporation. He has also become financially and officially interested in other important business concerns and is now a director of the McShane Lumber Company of Omaha, of the Motorist Publishing Company of Omaha and of J. C. Messing & Company, of Onawa, Iowa. His discern- ment in business affairs is keen and his sagacity has prevented unwarranted risks which too frequently end in failure.
On the 24th of June, 1908, in Omaha, Mr. Hosford was married to Miss Mary Lee McShane and they have one son, Willard Deere, Jr., and one daugh- ter, Kathryn Emma. In his political views Mr. Hosford is a republican. He belongs to the Omaha Club, the Country Club, the Automobile Club, the Rotary Club and the Commercial Club in Omaha and he is also a member of the Uni- versity Club of Chicago, where he is almost as widely known as he is in his adopted city, having an acquaintance with many of the most prominent and influential residents of the western metropolis.
WILLIAM DAVID LINCOLN.
William David Lincoln, superintendent of transportation with the Union Pacific Railroad and president of the Bankers Savings & Loan Association of Omaha, was born in Smithville, Clay county, Missouri, in 1864. His father, Isaac Wells Lincoln, a native of Kentucky, was born near Lexington in 1830 and was a son of David Lincoln, who came from the same ancestral stock as Abraham Lincoln. At an early day Isaac W. Lincoln accompanied his parents on their removal to the Platte Purchase and subsequently they went to Clay county, Missouri. It was there that Isaac W. Lincoln was married to Miss Louise Gilkey and in 1860 they became residents of St. Joseph, Missouri, where for many years the father conducted a hotel. He passed away in 1895 and is still survived by his wife.
Reared in St. Joseph, Missouri, William D. Lincoln there obtained a public school education and started upon his business career in connection with railway interests, entering the employ of the St. Joseph & Denver Railroad Company in 1879, when a youth of but fifteen years. That he was trustworthy, capable and efficient is indicated in the fact that he remained continuously with that road for a decade and advancement through intermediate positions had brought him to the place of car accountant. He resigned, however, in 1889 to come to Omaha as traveling car agent for the Union Pacific Railroad and now for more than a quarter of a century he has represented that corporation, rising step by step to the position of superintendent of transportation. He has recently been appointed to fill a new position in the transportation department of the road, becoming "outside man," in which connection he has the checking of the rolling stock and equipment, while upon him also devolves the responsibility of keeping the cars moving to their capacity. The creation of this position was made necessary by the heavy freight movements that have been developing. Into other fields he has also extended his efforts and investments, as is indicated by the fact that he is now president of the Bankers Savings & Loan Association of Omaha.
On the 21st of May, 1885, in Lexington, Kentucky, Mr. Lincoln was united in marriage to Miss Ella Parker, her father being Alexander Parker a native of Kentucky. They have one son, Frank Buckingham Lincoln, who was born in Omaha in March, 1904. Mr. Lincoln's military record covers three years' service as sergeant with the Missouri State Guards at St. Joseph. In politics
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he has always maintained an independent course, preferring to cast his ballot according to the dictates of his judgment without regard to party ties. Prominent in Masonic circles, he has taken the degrees of the York and Scottish Rites and he is also a member of Tangier Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He likewise belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and along more strictly social lines is identified with the Country and Omaha Clubs. He is a man whose worth is worthy of comment. His ability and fidelity are attested by his twenty- eight years' service with the Union Pacific. They are further attested by all whom he serves or who have served under him and by all whom he has met in social relations. He has the qualities that win friendship and he is always appre- ciative of the good qualities of others.
PAUL WALLACE HORBACH.
Paul Wallace Horbach, an Omaha capitalist and lifelong resident of the city, was born July 21, 1863, a son of John Abraham Horbach, mentioned elsewhere in this volume. After acquiring his early education in the schools of Omaha he entered the Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York, and was graduated therefrom in 1886, on the completion of courses in civil and electrical engineering. He afterward traveled on the Continent for some months and upon his return to Omaha became connected with the Patrick Land Company, which he repre- sented for a year. He afterward spent a year in connection with the Omaha Motor Railway Company, at the end of which time he became connected with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company of Lynn, Massachusetts, with which he remained from the spring of 1889 until the following September. He then went abroad again, returning in December of that year, and in 1891 he took a position with the Union Pacific Railroad Company as civil engineer, being thus employed until July, 1892. At that date he took charge of the interests of the Beatrice (Neb.) Electric Company, with which he continued until 1896, when he returned to Omaha and assumed the management of his father's property. In 1900 he went to New York city, where he remained for eight years actively engaged in the brokerage business. Since 1908 he has remained continuously in Omaha, directing his attention to the erection of houses and store buildings. He has extensive and important property holdings in this city and from his realty derives a very substantial and gratifying income, while in its management he displays sound judgment, keen discrimination and notable sagacity.
Mr. Horbach gives his political allegiance to the republican party. He holds membership in St. Barnabas Episcopal church and his only club is the Omaha Club. Widely known in the city in which practically his entire life has been passed, he has a circle of friends that is practically coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.
MARION F. SHAFER.
Marion F. Shafer, president of the American State Bank and vice president of the firm of M. F. Shafer & Company, dealers in advertising specialties, was born in Volcano, West Virginia, January 23, 1870, a son of James R. Shafer, whose birth occurred in Washington county, Ohio, in 1841 and who, following the outbreak of the Civil war in 1860, responded to the country's call for troops by enlisting in the Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served throughout the period of hostilities, becoming a noncommissioned officer.
Marion F. Shafer completed his education in the State Normal School at Fairmont, West Virginia, after which he returned to his native town and was
MARION F. SHAFER
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there engaged with his father in the merchandise business until 1891. Seeking the opportunities of the middle west, he made his way to Iowa and engaged in mer- chandising at Henderson for seven years. In 1898 he removed to Villisca, Iowa, where he remained until 1900, being engaged in the mercantile business during that period. In 1902 he became a resident of Oskaloosa and in 1903 came to Omaha, Nebraska, where he began the manufacture of advertising specialties in connection with his brother, Ward E. Shafer. On the 12th of April, 1910, the business was incorporated and on the 24th of May, 1911, articles of incorpora- tion were amended and again on the 13th of January, 1912. The business is now being successfully conducted under the name of M. F. Shafer & Company, of which Marion F. Shafer is the vice president. He is also a prominent figure in financial circles of the city, having been one of the promoters of the American State Bank, which was organized July 18, 1916, with a capital stock of two hundred thousand dollars, its officers being: M. F. Shafer, president; John F. Hecox, vice president ; and L. M. Swindler, cashier.
On the IIth of October, 1893. in Sistersville, West Virginia, Mr. Shafer was united in marriage to Miss Cora B. Snider, a native of Waverly, West Virginia, and a daughter of Frank M. and Catherine ( Janes) Snider. Fortunate in his selection of a wife Mr. Shafer's success has been to no small extent the result of Mrs. Shafer's valuable counsel and advice in his various business undertakings. They are members of the Christian Science church and in politics Mr. Shafer maintains an independent course. He belongs to the Commercial Club of Omaha, the Happy Hollow Club and the Omaha Athletic Club and is a York Rite Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine. His marked traits of character are such as commend him to the confidence, goodwill and high regard of his associates and contemporaries. His business career has been marked by steady progress and he is today at the head of interests of magnitude which indicate his marked ability and spirit of enterprise.
RICHARD CALVIN PETERS.
Richard Calvin Peters, a resident of Nebraska for thirty years, has made his home in Omaha since 1897, and for a decade has been at the head of the Peters Trust Company and as such is a well known figure in financial circles of the city. He is descended from a family of Welsh extraction although rep- resentatives of the name have long been residents of America, and on his mother's side is of Scotch and English stock. His grandfather, Richard Peters, was born in Delaware county, New York, but removed to the west, becoming a pioneer settler of Michigan. It was in Petersburg, that state, that his son Charles was born in 1825 and he was there reared amid the conditions and environments of pioneer life. He married Julia Ann Burnham, a native of Massachusetts, but both are now deceased.
Richard C. Peters, also a native of Petersburg, Michigan, was born April 29. 1862, and at the usual age began his education in the public schools of his native town. He afterward spent two years as a student in the Michigan State University and in the year 1886 he sought the opportunities offered in Nebraska, establishing his home at Westpoint, where he embarked in the real estate and loan business. There he remained for eleven years, or until 1897, when he came to Omaha. seeking a broader field of labor. Here he continued to engage in placing farnı loans and in 1907 he organized the Peters Trust Company, of which he has continuously been the president and chief executive officer. This company now has a large clientage and its extensive business is of an important character. Mr. Peters is also one of the directors of the Farm Mortgage Bankers Association and is serving on its executive committee. There is per-
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