USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 74
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Dr. Shanahan was married in Omaha, September 14, 1911, to Miss Agnes Cavanaugh, a native of Iowa and a daughter of John Cavanaugh, who was an early settler of Loherville, Iowa. Dr. and Mrs. Shanahan have four children : Edmond, John, Maurine and James A. The first two were born in Omaha, the third child in San Francisco and the fourth in Hollywood, California.
Dr. and Mrs. Shanahan are communicants of the Roman Catholic church and
DR. EDMOND F. SHANAHAN
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he belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Eagles, the Moose and the Mystic Workers. He also has membership in the Seymour Lake Country Club. In politics he is a democrat, much interested in political and civic matters in this country and also in public questions affecting the welfare of the Irish nation. In May, 1912, he was appointed city physician of South Omaha and so served for two terms or until the annexation, when he was made assistant city physician of Greater Omaha, in full charge of the south side. He has also served as colonel on the governor's staff and has been first lieutenant in the medical corps of the National Guard.
BENJAMIN L. BENSON.
Among the concerns of Omaha whose trade has reached out to foreign coun- tries as well as extending from one end to the other of the United States is the Nebraska Lightning Rod Company, of which Benjamin L. Benson is treasurer and manager. Theirs is the largest industry of the kind in the country and its product is recognized as standard. Mr. Benson has been identified with Omaha during practically his entire life and has not only been a witness of its remarkable growth but has been a factor in bringing this development about. He was born in Skåne, Sweden, September 8, 1861, but in 1866 accompanied his parents, Lars and Ella ( Knutson) Benson, to the United States. They came directly to Omaha, arriving here on the 14th of March. At that time there were no bridges across the Missouri river at Omaha and the train on which they came was ferried across the river three cars at a time. The father soon secured a position as fireman in the firehouse of the Union Pacific Railroad and remained in the employ of that cor- poration for fifteen years. Later he became a well digger, which was then a profitable business as there was no waterworks system in Omaha and each family had to provide its own supply of water. With the establishment of a waterworks system the damand for the services of well diggers ceased and Mr. Benson then homesteaded land near St. Paul. Nebraska, to which the family removed. He engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in Omaha in 1881. His wife died in 1876. They were the parents of nine children, of whom only two survive, the brother of our subject being John Lars Benson, a resident of Ivanhoe, Minnesota.
Benjamin L. Benson as a boy often visited the Indian village on the river and spent many hours playing with the Indian boys of his own age. He received his education in the public schools of Omaha, and after putting aside his textbooks went to work in a grocery store. Later he established a store of his own which, however, he disposed of in 1900, becoming connected at that time with the Omaha Lightning Rod Company. He spent some time as a manager for that concern, but in 1908 he organized the Nebraska Lightning Rod Company, of which he became treasurer and manager, with John McCaig as president and E. L. Benson as secre- tary. Following the death of Mr. McCaig in 1916 Otto Baysdorfer became presi- dent, Mr. Benson remaining treasurer and manager. He has since filled those offices and to him is due no small share of the credit for the rapid growth of the business. The company manufactures pure copper cable conductors which are guaranteed to be absolute protection against lightning, and experts are sent from the factory to teach dealers how to rod buildings properly, thus doing away with all elements of risk. In a government bulletin on the subject of lightning protection it is emphasized that to secure adequate protection it is necessary first that the rods be made of the proper material and second that they be installed correctly. It has been ascertained beyond doubt that pure copper affords the greatest pro- tection and the method of placing the rods on the buildings used by the Nebraska Lightning Rod Company is the result of a careful study of all conditions having a
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bearing upon the effectiveness of the rods. Attention has also been given to the style of the rods, fixtures and ornaments, so that every kind of building from the finest residence to the barn or shop may be equipped with a system harmonizing in appearance with the character of the structure. The company are manufacturers and wholesalers, selling their products through retail dealers, usually hardware merchants and implement dealers. The equipment of the factory is thoroughly up-to-date and the workmen are all expert in their respective lines.
Mr. Benson was married March 1, 1882, to Miss Annie Olson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund Olson. She passed away February 9, 1892, leaving two children, Edward L., who was born in 1883, is a graduate of the Omaha high school and is now in business with his father. He was married in 1911 to Miss Bessie Snook, of Omaha, and they have two children, William Edward and Bernice, aged respectively five and two years. Clarence L., born in 1885, married Elsie Barsballe November 5, 1913. Mr. Benson was again married October 15, 1898, his second union being with Miss Emma Thoren, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gus G. Thoren.
Mr. Benson is a democrat in his political belief and has discharged to the full all of his obligations as a citizen but he has never been an office seeker. He is widely known throughout the city and is not only held in high respect because of his unquestioned force of character and business ability but is also popular personally. He takes justifiable pride in the wonderful growth of the business of his company and it is a source of satisfaction to him that the success of the business has benefited not only those directly connected with it but also the city as a whole, increasing its importance as one of the commercial centers of the country.
HENRY A. OLSEN.
Henry A. Olsen, a brass founder of Omaha, is active as a member of the firm of Olsen & Schlinger in the conduct of a business that was established in 1892, and which in the intervening period has developed into an important industrial concern of the city. Henry A. Olsen, now senior partner in the business, was born in Omaha, August 8, 1878. His father, Richard Olsen, a native of Norway, came to America in the early 70s, making his way direct to Omaha where he engaged in stonecutting work, becoming one of the pioneers in that line in the city. He has since established a large and satisfactory business. His wife is Mrs. Gertrude Olsen, and they were married before leaving Norway. They had three children, Henry A., Louis and Olive.
Henry A. Olsen was educated in the parochial schools of Omaha, and at the age of eleven years started out to earn his own living. He first engaged in the dressing of poultry for David Cole, and that he proved a capable, faithful and loyal employe, is indicated in the fact that he was employed by Mr. Cole for fourteen years. He then entered upon an apprenticeship to the brass makers trade and followed his trade as a journeyman until April, 1910, when his present business was purchased from McDonald Brothers. It was established in 1892 at the corner of Fifteenth and Jackson streets. At first there was but one workman em- ployed but the firm of Olsen & Schlinger is today at the head of the largest business of the kind in Omaha, employing on an average six skilled workmen. The shop and plant are now located at No. 1407 Jackson street, and the firm is engaged in supplying the local jobbing trade. The business is now large and is constantly growing for the output fully meets the demand, the product being of excellent quality.
On the 17th of April, 1899, Mr. Olsen was united in marriage to Miss Emma Mastrick, at Omaha. Mrs. Olsen is a native of Omaha and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Mastrick, pioneer settlers of the city. They had three children but have lost one, the others being Ethel and Gertrude, aged respectively eleven and
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five years. The parents are members of the Roman Catholic church and in politics Mr. Olsen maintains an independent course. His life has been one of un- tiring activity, and industry and determination have enabled him to overcome all the difficulties that have barred his path to success.
MATTHEW A. McNAMARA.
Matthew A. McNamara, who for long years was closely identified with the building interests of Omaha and thus contributed much to the improvement of the city, arrived here in 1869, removing from Brooklyn, New York. He was a native of Ireland but was only four years of age when his parents crossed the Atlantic with their family and established their home in Brooklyn, where he was reared and educated. On coming to Omaha he embarked in the wholesale liquor and tobacco business on Fourteenth street, between Farnam and Douglas streets, and continued in that line for about twenty years. He built three houses on South Seventeenth street and he it was who erected the first flat buildings in the city. He also erected his own residence, known as Oak Forest. His activities in this line contributed much to the improvement of the districts in which he operated.
In 1873 Mr. McNamara was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Sullivan, a daughter of P. R. Sullivan, who was born in Ireland and became a resident of Boston. He thence removed in 1869 to Omaha, after which he took charge of the officers' mess at the Omaha barracks. There he continued for many years and he continued to reside in this city up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1907, when he was seventy-five years of age.
Mr. McNamara at his death left five children, of whom four are yet living, Matthew A., having passed away. The others are Mary, Ellen, Anna and Reba. The daughter Anna is now the wife of J. D. Shields, of Chicago. The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 22d of February, 1886, the husband and father was called to his final rest, leaving many friends as well as his immediate family to mourn his loss. In politics he was always a stalwart democrat and was a very public-spirited man, giving active aid and support to many measures and movements for the general good. He served for two or three terms as a member of the city council and he had the first contract for paving and laying the sewers on Farnam street, John F. Dailey doing the work under Mr. McNamara's direction. He held membership in the Catholic church, being a communicant at the Cathedral, and lie belonged to the Irish Catholic Associa- tion and to the Emmet Monument Association. He had a strong attachment for the land of his nativity as well as for the land of his adoption and was always ready to aid his fellow countrymen in every possible way.
JAMES W. HOLMQUIST.
One of the greatest factors in the growth of Omaha is the grain trade and among the leaders in that business James W. Holmquist occupies a foremost position. He is president of the Holmquist Elevator Company, which does a general commission business and operates a terminal elevator in Omaha. He is also at the head of the Holmquist Grain & Lumber Company, which has twenty different branches in Nebraska and Iowa. A native of De Kalb, Illinois, he was born October 4, 1866, and is a son of O. and Anna (Johnson) Holmquist, both of whom were born in Sweden but in 1866 emigrated to America. In 1869 they removed to Nebraska and settled on a homestead in Cuming county. There they remained for eleven years but in 1880 took up their residence in Oakland,
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where the father resided until his death in 1914 at the age of seventy-six years. The mother still survives and is living in Omaha. Their four children are as follows: James W .; A. C., a resident of Oakland ; Mrs. H. L. Olson, of Omaha ; and Mrs. E. Broberg, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
James W. Holmquist is almost entirely a self-educated man as his oppor- tunities for schooling were very meager. With the exception of fourteen months spent in the Oakland schools he has acquired his knowledge in the school of experience. When but a boy he went to work in a retail lumber yard for his father with whom he remained for nine years, and during that time he gained a thorough knowledge of the business. In 1892 the Holmquist Grain & Lumber Company was organized and operated at five stations and has met with gratifying success from the beginning. From time to time they have established branches in various towns and the Holmquist Grain & Lumber Company, of which he is still the head, now owns elevators in twenty towns and cities of Nebraska and Iowa. In 1902 he came to Omaha and together with Nathan Merriam organized the Merri- am-Holmquist Grain Company, which continued until 1910, when it was dissolved. In that year he organized the Holmquist Elevator Company, of which he is the president, and which is operating a terminal elevator of large capacity in Omaha. The firm does a large business and is well known throughout the grain belt of the middle west. The fact that he has successfully managed the affairs of two large corporations is proof that he possesses the ability to think in large terms, the power to direct the labors of others and the foresight that enables him to anticipate changes in business conditions. In addition to the interests already mentioned he is treasurer of the Nebraska-Iowa Grain Company.
Mr. Holmquist was married on the 22d of November, 1888, to Miss Anna M. Hansen, of Oakland, Nebraska, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Hansen, natives of Denmark. To this union have been born eight children, all natives of Oakland. Mrs. George Tyner, a graduate of Brownell Hall, is now living at De Witt, Nebraska, and has one son, George. Wynlow, who is a graduate of the Oakland high school, is married and has three children. Stella is a graduate of Brownell Hall. Carolyn is a graduate of the Omaha high school, as is Bernie. James is a high school student, and Elden and Graydon complete the family.
Mr. Holmquist is independent in politics, casting his ballot for the candidates whom he thinks will best serve the public good. He is a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine and also has other fraternal con- nections, belonging to the Elks, the Woodmen of the World and the Modern Woodmen of America. He holds membership in the Omaha Club and in the Com- mercial Club. He takes an active part in the work of the Grain Exchange, of which he is an ex-president. He is a splendid representative of the modern suc- cessful business man, recognizing as he does the interrelation of all phases of modern life and the great value of cooperation for a common end.
LOUIS C. NASH.
Louis C. Nash, who since January, 1914, has been active in the management and ownership of the department store conducted under the name of the Burgess- Nash Company, of which he is the vice president, was born in Omaha, December 2, 1880. His father, Edward W. Nash is mentioned in a more extended article elsewhere in this work.
After mastering the branches of learning taught in the schools of his native city Louis C. Nash entered Notre Dame University near South Bend, Indiana, in which he completed an electrical course by graduation with the class of 1898. He then returned to Omaha and entered the employ of the street car company as road inspector, and the recognition of his ability and initiative advanced him to the position of secretary and treasurer, which he resigned, however, in January, 1914,
LOUIS C. NASH
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to become connected with Ward M. Burgess in incorporating the Burgess-Nash Company, of which he is the vice president. They then opened up a well equipped department store, having one of the most attractive establishments in that line in the city. Most careful attention is paid to the personnel of the house, to thie character of goods carried and to the treatment accorded patrons, and modern business enterprise has won for them substantial success.
On the 8th of June, 1904, in Omaha, Mr. Nash was married to Miss Janet Eunice Rogers and their children are Edward W., Louis Rogers, Ellen Virginia and Elizabeth. The family are communicants of the Catholic church. In his political views Mr. Nash is a republican, but while he does not seek nor desire public office, he gives active support to various projects for the public good, especially those promoted by the Commercial Club, of which he is an active mem- ber, serving now on the executive committee. He finds recreation through his identification with the Omaha, the Carter Lake, the Country and the Field Clubs. His entire life has been spent in his native city and that the record has been a creditable one is indicated in the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boyhood to the present.
HUGH W. WILLIAMS.
Hugh W. Williams, president of the Drake Williams Mount Company, has been engaged in this business since 1897, and his initial step in this direction followed previous experience along the same line as an employe. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 30, 1862, a son of William and Alice (Roberts) Williams, who were natives of Wales. Each came to America in the early '50S and settled in Milwaukee. Following their marriage they removed to Chicago, where the father engaged in blacksmithing and horseshoeing, remaining in that city until called to his final rest in 1915, when he was in the eightieth year of his age. His wife passed away in Chicago, in 1908, at the age of seventy-three years.
Hugh W. Williams was the eldest of their five sons. He pursued his education in the public schools and a business college of Chicago, after which he acquainted himself with the business of hog buying in the Union Stock Yards of that city, being there employed from 1879 until 1886. He afterward came to Omaha and entered the Paxton & Vierling Iron Works, with which he was connected for six and one-half years. He afterward spent ten years in the Wilson & Drake Boiler Works, later Drake Wilson & Williams, and on the expiration of that period he organized the Drake Williams Mount Company in June, 1902. The business was started in a small way but has grown to large proportions and in 1902 it was neces- sary to remove from the original location at 19th and Pierce streets in order to secure larger quarters. Something of the development of the trade is indicated in the fact that there are now seventy-six employes outside of the office force and the plant covers two acres of ground. They are thoroughly equipped to take care of any kind of business having to do with tanks, smoke stacks and boilers, and excellent shipping facilities have been secured through trackage in their own yards.
In January, 1891, in Omaha, Mr. Williams was married to Miss Elizabeth Shaw, a daughter of James and Katherine Shaw, of Denver, Colorado. There are four children : Walter Hugh, who was born in June, 1892, was graduated from the Omaha schools and since that time has been associated with his father in business ; Alice, born October 1, 1893; Georgia, born February 17, 1895; and Arthur, born in May, 1904. The three eldest have all completed the high school course.
In politics Mr. Williams is an earnest republican but not an office seeker. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He holds membership in the Commercial Club and he is interested in all those forces and movements that have to do with the welfare and development of the city. There has never been an esoteric phase in his life record. On the contrary Vol. II-31
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everything has been open and above board and his honorable effort in business has been attended by most substantial and gratifying success. He ranks high as a leading manufacturer and citizen and is well known as a representative man of Omaha.
WILLIAM H. WALKER, M. D.
Dr. William H. Walker, an Omaha physician and surgeon, was born January 11, 1870, in Diamond, Canada, and was the fourth in a family of thirteen children whose parents were Robert and Margaret (Baird) Walker, the latter also a native of Canada and a representative of one of the old families of that country of English descent. The former, Robert Walker, was born in Ireland but in 1844 was taken to Canada by his parents, being then a lad of but five years. He became a pros- perous lumberman and implement dealer and also followed the occupation of farming. About 1880 he removed to Nebraska and is now living retired at Gibbon, this state.
Dr. Walker of this review pursued his education in the schools of Canada and of Nebraska. He was for four years a student in the State Normal School at Peru and was graduated from the medical department of Creighton University in 1901. Following his graduation he became an interne in the Presbyterian Hospital of Omaha and during the succeeding decade was associated with Dr. Robert Gilmore but since 1909 has been alone, giving his attention to the general practice of medi- cine and surgery, his ability winning him success in his chosen field. He belongs to the Omaha-Douglas County Medical Society and also to the Nebraska State Medical Association and through the interchange of thought and experience in those organizations he keeps in touch with the trend of modern medical practice.
On the 23d of December, 1903, in Creston, Iowa, Dr. Walker was married to Miss Eeola Young, a native of that state and a daughter of Dole Young, of an old Iowa family. They have become parents of a son, Richard William, who was born in Omaha, January, 2, 1906.
Dr. Walker has membership with the Masonic fraternity, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and also become a member of the Mystic Shrine. His name is likewise on the membership roll of the Elks and he belongs to the Field Club and the Omaha Athletic Club. Throughout his life he has been actuated by a laudable ambition to advance along those lines which make not only for professional efficiency but for higher standards of living, and as a man and citizen he is held in warm regard.
CHARLES E. NISWONGER.
Charles E. Niswonger, of the Blanchard & Niswonger Grain Company of Omaha, is one of the quota of citizens that Ohio has furnished to this state. He was born in Arcanum, Ohio, March 26, 1868, a son of David and Anna ( Peffly) Niswonger, both now deceased. The former was descended from Virginia ancestry of Dutch lineage, although four generations of the family have been represented in Ohio. The mother belonged to an old Pennsylvania family of German descent. Mr. Niswonger was a farmer and mill man and met with a substantial measure of success in conducting his business at Arcanum, where he and his wife reared their family of eight children.
In the schools of his native town Charles E. Niswonger, the third child, pursued his education until he had completed the high school course, after which he attended Mount Morris College at Mount Morris, Illinois. His youthful days were spent in the usual manner of farm lads and when nineteen years of age he
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started out to earn his own livelihood, being first employed as private secretary by David S. Hill, superintendent of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. He con- tinued in railroad service for twenty years and during the latter part of that period was general agent for the Rock Island Railroad at Memphis, Tennessee. He then entered the grain trade at Memphis in 1904, continuing his operations there until 1907, when he removed to Omaha, where he entered the grain trade on his own account. In 1913 his present business was established and the company today is classed with the leading grain commission men and general shippers of Omaha, having built up a business of very large and satisfactory proportions.
On the 15th of October, 1890, at Mount Morris, Illinois, Mr. Niswonger was united in marriage to Miss Florence Swingley, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Oliver H. and Augusta (Alden) Swingley, representatives of an old Maryland family of Swiss descent, being directly descended from Ulrich Zwingli, the noted Swiss reformer, although the name has since been changed to its present form.
Mr. and Mrs. Niswonger hold membership in the Episcopal church. Mrs. Nis- wonger takes a most active part in church and charitable work and is one of the directors of the Young Women's Christian Association. Mr. Niswonger belongs to the Happy Hollow Club and also to the Omaha Grain Exchange. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. These associations indicate the nature of his interests and the trend of his thought and activity. During the years of his residence in Omaha he has steadily climbed to a foremost position in the ranks of its business circles and his keen sagacity enables him to make wise investments and profitable sales.
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