USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > Omaha: the Gate city, and Douglas County, Nebraska, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 93
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
In politics Mr. Peters is a republican and fraternally is connected with the Woodmen of the World. He has membership in All Saints Episcopal church and is a member of the Omaha Club and of the Omaha Country Club, of which he was president from 1913 to 1915 inclusive and at the present writing is a director.
HON. JOSEPH M. LOVELY.
Hon. Joseph M. Lovely, a native son of Omaha, at the bar of which city he is now practicing, was born July 31, 1887, his father being Michael Lovely, a native of Canada, but of Irish ancestry, his father being Edward Lovely, the founder of the family in the new world. He crossed the Atlantic to Canada in 1830, and there Michael Lovely was reared and educated. In 1885 he came to Nebraska and entered the contracting and building business in Omaha, in which he won substantial prosperity, erecting many buildings in Nebraska and Iowa which today are monuments to his labor and evidences of his skill. He is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of a well spent life. His political allegiance has always been given the democratic party, of which he is an ardent advocate, but has never sought nor desired public office. He wedded Mary Kelley, who was a native of Illinois and of Irish descent. She passed away in Omaha, October 31, 1909, at the age of fifty-three years.
In the family were eight children, of whom Joseph M. Lovely was the third in
972
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
order of birth. He was educated in the public schools of Omaha and in Creighton College and was graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1908, while in 1914 he won the LL. B. degree. Following his graduation he entered upon the active practice of law, in which he has since continued. Prior to taking up the study of law he was associated with his father and learned the builder's trade in all of its departments, while from his earnings he saved the money that pro- vided the means for his education. Following his graduation he entered at once upon active practice, to which he has since devoted his time and attention, and his clientage is now growing in volume and importance.
Mr. Lovely is a member of the Roman Catholic church and also has mem- bership with the Eagles, the Stags, the Gamma Delta Gamma and the Barristers Club. He was also at one time a member of Company B, Fourth Regiment of the State Militia. In politics a democrat, he has been an active worker in party ranks and on the 7th of November, 1916, was elected to the state legislature. He also served for four terms as deputy tax assessor and he is interested in all those things which have to do with the welfare and progress of the city in which he lives and in all that has aught to do with the advancement of his state.
WILLIAM F. DENNY.
William F. Denny is at the head of the Denny Live Stock Commission Com- pany, operating at the Union Stock Yards in South Omaha, with offices in the Exchange building. From all sections of the country have come the men who are now active factors in controlling the great live stock industry which centers in this city. Mr. Denny was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, January 27, 1862, a son of William A. and Mary (Foresman) Denny, both of whom were also born in the Buckeye state. After the Civil war they removed with their family to Chicago, where the father engaged in the live stock commission business, organizing the firm of Denny & Redman and operating at the Union Stock Yards in that city. There he continued in active business for many years, or until the time of his retirement, which followed the acquirement of a very substantial measure of success. He died in Chicago in 1908 at the age of seventy-one years. During the Civil war he actively supported the Union cause as captain of Company A of the Ninetieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain he was wounded, and was so badly disabled that he was unable to return to active service and was mustered out at the close of the war with the rank of captain. He made a most creditable military record for through- out the entire period of his service he proved himself an able defender of the stars and stripes. His widow is still a resident of Chicago and is now seventy- seven years of age. In the family were six children, three sons and three daugh- ters, William F. Denny being the eldest. One son died in infancy. N. R. Denny is now head hog buyer at South Omaha for Armour & Company. The daugh- ters are: Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Forsythe, of Chicago; and Nancy C. and Bertha B., also of Chicago.
In his boyhood days William F. Denny attended the Chicago public schools and afterward became a student in the Bryant & Stratton Business College, where hie pursued a full course. He then became connected with the B. F. Murphy Packing Company of Chicago and remained with that firm for three years. Later he was with Hoagland & Hill of the board of trade in Chicago and was a member of the Chicago board of trade for three years. He has been identi- fied with South Omaha and her business interests since December, 1886, at which time he organized the firm of W. F. Denny & Company for the conduct of a live stock commission business. This has been one of the leading firms on the live stock market of South Omaha throughout the intervening period. Mr. Denny is one of the most highly respected business men of Greater Omaha, for
975
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
his associates have come to know that his word is to be thoroughly relied upon, that his dealings are always fair and just and his opinions thoroughly impartial. There is no phase of the business with which he is not acquainted in principle and detail and for more than three decades he has now operated continuously, extensively and successfully as a representative of the live stock commission business in South Omaha.
In December, 1895, Mr. Denny was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Esmond, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Esmond. Mrs. Esmond passed away March 28, 1915, and Mr. Esmond now makes his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. Denny have been born three chil- dren : William E., who was born in 1898 and was graduated from the high school in February, 1917; Kathryn E., who was born in 1900 and is a student at Brownell Hall, where she is pursuing a high school course ; and Charlotte F., who was born in 1903 and is attending the public schools.
Mr. Denny exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and meas- ures of the republican party and he is a member of the Commercial Club. The spirit of undaunted enterprise finds expression in his business career. Through- out his entire life he has continued in one line of activity and this undoubtedly constitutes one of the factors in his growing success. He has never dissipated his energies over a broad field but has thoroughly mastered the work that he has undertaken and step by step has advanced until he has long occupied a posi- tion of leadership in live stock circles in Omaha and in this connection is widely known in other business centers of the country.
ALBERT SIDNEY WHITE.
Albert Sidney White, who is engaged in the real estate and investment busi- ness in Omaha, was born in Palmyra, Nebraska, December 25, 1874. He is a son of Dr. William S. and Jeanette (Taggart) White, who were natives of Kentucky and Illinois respectively. The White family is of English lineage and was founded in America in colonial days by ancestors who settled in Virginia. Representatives of the family participated in the Revolutionary war. The Tag- garts were an old Pennsylvania family and the maternal grandfather, John M. Taggart, became a pioneer of Nebraska, settling here in 1856, and represented Douglas county in the Nebraska legislature in territorial days. He was a minister of the Baptist church and long held membership with the Nebraska State Baptist Ministerial Association, in the work of which he took a leading part, serving as its president. He died in this state in 1887, at the age of seventy years. The Taggarts were of Scotch-Irish descent, the founder of the family in the new world being Robert Taggart, who came to the United States when this country was still numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Britain. He settled in Philadelphia and there the family was represented for some generations.
It was in 1867 that Dr. White came to Nebraska, establishing his home at Palmyra. In 1893 he removed to South Omaha, where he engaged in the prac- tice of his profession, becoming one of the successful physicians of the city. He was a graduate of the St. Louis Medical College of St. Louis, Missouri, and at all times he kept in touch with the trend of modern scientific advancement. During the Civil war he joined the Confederate army and served under Colonel Francis M. Cockrell, who was later a United States senator from Missouri. During President Cleveland's administration Dr. White served as chief of the bureau of animal industry, and he was also county health officer of Douglas county for a period of years. He passed away in South Omaha in 1905, at the age of sixty-two. His widow yet survives.
Albert S. White was the eldest in a family of four children, three of whom are yet living. He supplemented his public school education by a course in the
976
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
University of Nebraska, winning the LL. B. degree in 1897. Following his graduation he was for two years justice of the peace in South Omaha and later he removed to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was engaged in the real estate and loan business for four years. He then entered the field of banking at Chadwick, Missouri, becoming cashier of the Chadwick State Bank, and later he was vice president of the Planters Bank of St. Louis, Missouri. He afterward became president of the Night & Day Bank at St. Louis and in 1912 he returned to Omaha, becoming vice president of the State Bank of Omaha. He is also dealing in real estate and investments.
Mr. White has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Eva LeDioyt, of Kansas City. Of this union one child, William Sidney, was born in Kansas City, September 19, 1902. The present Mrs. White, previous to her marriage in 1906, was Miss Lillian Hicks, of Kansas City, Missouri.
Mr. White is an independent in his political views and his interest in com- munity affairs is shown in his membership in the Commercial Club. He belongs also to the Omaha Athletic Club, and he is a prominent Mason, having taken the degrees of the lodge in Kansas City, while in St. Louis he became a member of the Royal Arch Chapter, the Knight Templar commandery and the Mystic Shrine.
HENRY O. EDWARDS.
Henry O. Edwards, one of the most popular business men of South Omaha, now occupying the responsible position of general manager of the Swift packing plant and thus controlling most extensive and important interests, has worked his way upward to his present position through indefatigable effort and ability. He was born in Richmond, Vermont, November 5, 1866, and is a son of A. B. and Marian (Oaks) Edwards, who were also natives of the Green Mountain state. There the father engaged in farming and in the live stock business, and in 1886 he removed to Chicago, where he became chief buyer for Swift & Company, in which connection he continued for seven years. Later he engaged in the live stock commission business on his own account and so continued until his death, which occurred in 1898, when he was sixty-three years of age. His wife survived him for a considerable period and passed away in Chicago in 1914 at the age of seventy-nine.
Henry O. Edwards was the eldest in their family of three children. His youthful days were spent under the parental roof in Vermont, where he attended the public schools, and later he entered his father's employ, thus receiving his initial business training. He continued in business with his father for a year after the removal of the family to Chicago and he then entered the employ of Swift & Company, remaining with that corporation in Chicago for four years, after which he was transferred to Birmingham, Alabama, where he continued for two years. He returned to Chicago, where he remained until 1903, after which he spent two years in Philadelphia. Since that time he has been in Omaha, having been advanced to the position of general manager of the Swift interests at this point in 1905. He worked his way upward through various departments, gaining a comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the business. In this con- nection he has several thousand employes under his direct supervision. He is also a director of the Live Stock National Bank and one of its stockholders.
On the 31st of October, 1888, Mr. Edwards was united in marriage to Miss Leona A. Williams, of Huntington, Vermont, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Williams of that state. They have one child. Robert B., who was born in Chicago in 1896 and is now a student in Cornell University at Ithaca, New York.
Mr. Edwards belongs to the Omaha Field Club, to the Commercial Club and to St. Mary's church, associations which indicate much of the nature of his
977
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
interests and the rules which govern his conduct. His has been an active and well spent life, and the intelligent direction of his labors has brought him to a most enviable and honorable position in connection with the commercial upbuild- ing of Omaha.
ARTHUR HOOVER.
Arthur Hoover, a dealer in investment securities, was born in Waterloo, Iowa, on the 5th of June, 1878, of the marriage of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Pinkerton) Hoover, both natives of Wayne county, Ohio, where they were reared. In 1875 the father went to Black Hawk county, Iowa, where he very successfully engaged in farming for many years, and he is numbered among the most successful and highly respected citizens of Waterloo, where he now lives retired. The mother died in Waterloo in 1909 at the age of forty-nine years. To them were born seven children, as follows: Samuel P. and Ira J., both residents of Waterloo ; Arthur, of this review ; Mrs. Anna Fiel, of Waterloo; Mrs. Blanche Hewitt, of Butte, Montana; Jay C., who is living in Yomans, Canada; and Harry R., a resident of Kansas City.
During his boyhood Arthur Hoover attended an academic school in Waterloo, after which he graduated from the Iowa State Teachers' College at Cedar Falls. He completed his education in the University of Chicago. During his college ' days he took a leading part in athletics both at Cedar Falls and at Chicago. He was a member of both the baseball and football teams at the State Teachers' Col- lege and at the University of Chicago was a member of the baseball team, win- ning the athletic letter his first year. After leaving the latter institution he entered the Leavitt & Johnson National Bank at Waterloo. He filled clerical positions in that bank for four years, but in 1906 came to Omaha and turned his attention to the real estate business. He built up a clientage and in addition to buying and selling on commission erected a number of buildings. For some time he was also connected with the State Bank of Omaha as a director, but continued as a real estate dealer.
In Villisca, Iowa, in August, 1904, Mr. Hoover was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Wise, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Wise, still residents of Villisca. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hoover, namely : Helen Blanche, whose birth occurred in Villisca in 1905; John Arthur, born in Omaha in 1907; Robert Wise, who was born in Omaha in 1912; and Richard Clayton, born in Omaha in 1916.
Mr. Hoover is a republican in politics, but although faithful in the discharge of all his duties as a citizen, he has never taken a prominent part in political affairs. He finds recreation and an opportunity for the gratification of the social side of his nature in his membership in the Omaha Athletic Club. The success which is now his is doubly creditable, in that he has been dependent entirely upon his own resources since beginning his business career.
GLENN CARLTON WHARTON.
One of the important wholesale enterprises of Omaha is that conducted under the name of F. P. Kirkendall & Company, of which Glenn Carlton Wharton is the president. He also has other important business connections which render him a factor in the commercial development of the city. He was born in Aledo, Mer- cer county, Illinois, in 1883 and is a son of John C. Wharton, formerly postmaster of Omaha.
Brought to this city in February, 1885, Glenn C. Wharton entered its pub-
978
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
lic schools on beginning his education and passed through consecutive grades to graduation from the high school with the class of 1899. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him and in 1903 he was graduated from Princeton University. For a year he studied commercial law in New York city and his knowledge thereof has been of immense value to him in the conduct of impor- tant business interests. Returning to Omaha, he became the organizer of the Grove-Wharton Construction Company in 1904 and was elected its vice presi- dent. He afterward became one of the organizers of the Omaha Lumber & Coal Company in 1906 and was also chosen its vice president. He is still interested in both companies, serving as a member of the board of directors. He con- tributes much to the success of both corporations and has in recent years been more active in the wholesale trade of the city as a member of F. P. Kirkendall & Company, of which he was elected vice president in December, 1912. He con- tinued to serve as second officer until January, 1916, when he was made president of this wholesale shoe firm. In the past year he has inaugurated further pro- gressive policies that have extended the trade relations of the house and con- tributed to the growing success of the business.
In Omaha, on the 14th of February, 1908, Mr. Wharton was married to Miss Ada Elizabeth Kirkendall. They hold membership in the First Presbyterian church and he votes with the republican party. He is identified with various organizations for the benefit and upbuilding of the city and the advancement of its social interests, being now on the membership roll of the Commercial Club, while of the Athletic Club of Omaha he is a life member. He is likewise identi- fied with the Omaha Club and the Omaha Country Club and he belongs to the Princeton Club of New York. His business relations have made him widely known outside the city of his residence and wherever known he is held in the highest regard.
JUDGE ARTHUR COOPER WAKELEY.
Arthur Cooper Wakeley, of Omaha, judge of the fourth judicial district of Nebraska, was born at Whitewater, Wisconsin, in 1855. His father, Hon. Eleazer Wakeley, was a member of the Wisconsin territorial legislature in 1845; was elected to the state senate of that state in 1851 ; was appointed justice of Nebraska territory by President Pierce in 1857; reappointed by President Buchanan and served until 1861, when he returned to Wisconsin. There he formed a partner- ship for the practice of law with William F. Vilas, afterward United States senator from Wisconsin. In 1867 he returned to Omaha, where he became one of the leaders of the bar. A more complete account of his life appears in the chapter on the Bench and Bar in Volume I of this work.
Arthur C. Wakeley came to Omaha with his parents in 1867 and has made his home there since that time. He was educated in an Episcopal Church School at Nebraska City, in the Omaha high school, and at Cornell University, graduating from the latter institution in 1878 with the degree of Bachelor of Literature. He represented the University in the Intercollegiate Oratorical Contest in New York City in 1879. He then took up the study of law and in 1881 was graduated from the Columbia College Law School. 'The same year he was admitted to the bar and was associated in the practice with his father, until 1903. During his practice in Omaha, Mr. Wakeley has been identified with important litigation and in 1909 he was honored by being elected president of the Omaha Bar Association, of which he has long been a member. In 1916 he was appointed by Governor More- head judge of the fourth judicial district of Nebraska to succeed Judge James P. English, deceased, and in November, 1916, he was elected to that position.
In 1890 Judge Wakeley was married to Miss Fanny Dalrymple Wall, a beauti- ful and accomplished woman of Baltimore, Maryland. In his political belief he
979
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
has always been a democrat and was president of the Omaha Democratic Club. He belongs to a number of clubs, is a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and is a past exalted ruler of the Omaha Lodge of Elks. He has served as a member of the Omaha board of education and is frequently called upon to address public and social gatherings.
FRANK WITHNELL.
On the list of those men who have contributed to the development and upbuild- ing of Omaha appears the name of Frank Withnell, who throughout his entire life was a resident of Omaha, respected and esteemed by all who knew him. His birth occurred at the family home at Seventeenth and Farnam streets on the 29th of November, 1869, and his life record covered not quite forty years, for death called him on the 5th of August, 1909. His father, John Withnell, a native of Lancashire, England, came to Omaha in October, 1854, when on the site of the present city there was a tiny hamlet, one of the outposts of western civilization. From that time to the present the name of Withnell has figured in connection with the progress of the city and has ever been a synonym for reliability and enterprise in business.
After attending the public schools Frank Withnell continued his education in tlie Shattuck Military Academy at Faribault, Minnesota. He then returned to Omaha and began business in connection with his father and brother Charles, who were already established as well known contractors here. He remained in that business throughout his active life and was prominently identified with the improvement of the city through his extensive and important building operations. In all of his dealings he was thoroughly reliable, and perseverance and inde- fatigable energy were numbered among his strong characteristics.
In 1892 Mr. Withnell was united in marriage to Miss Luella Miles, who came to Omaha in 1889 from Burlington, Iowa. To them was born a daughter, Cecil L., whose birth occurred March 28, 1894, and who is now the wife of E. C. Goerke.
In his political views Mr. Withnell was a democrat and fraternally was con- nected with the Woodmen of the World. He enjoyed outdoor sports and was a member of the Roadster Club. At all times he manifested a public-spirited devotion to the general good and no movement for the benefit of Omaha failed . to receive his endorsement and cooperation. He was always greatly interested in his native city and its improvement and was ever most loyal to its interests.
JAY B. KATZ.
Jay B. Katz, of the Katz Construction Company; was born in Taylor county, Kentucky, on the 23d of October, 1882, a son of Samuel and Lorena (Roths- child) Katz, who were natives of Germany and Kentucky, respectively. The father came to America in the early '70s and settled in Kentucky, where he married. In 1884 he came to Omaha, where he was connected with mercantile lines and manufacturing and later became a contractor, and remained in the con- tracting business until his death in 1912. Mrs. Katz is still living in this city.
Jay B. Katz, their only child, attended public school, mastering the branches taught in the graded and high schools. Later he entered the Wentworth Military Academy at Lexington, Missouri, and following his return to Omaha spent four years in the employ of M. E. Smith & Company. After leaving that company, he engaged in the contracting business with his father, Samuel Katz, and George W. Craig, in the Katz-Craig Contracting Company, where he took up municipal
1
980
OMAHA AND DOUGLAS COUNTY
contracting and the building of public works. Samuel Katz and Mr. Craig retired from the business in 1911 and Jay B. Katz took over the business and is still operating, and has built waterworks and sewerage systems throughout the western country. His patronage has grown to extensive proportions and is well merited by reason of his ability, his sound judgment and his enterprise. He fully merits the prosperity that has come to him as it is the just reward of his diligence and keen sagacity. He has many men in his employ and every completed contract is an advertisement of the excellence of the work.
On the IIth of June, 1912, Mr. Katz was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Rubel of Omaha, a daughter of Isaac and Hattie C. Rubel. They have two children : Jay B., Jr., born in Omaha, September 30, 1913; and Marion, born August 15, 1915.
Mr. Katz is a thirty-second degree Mason and is also connected with the Benevolent Protective order of Elks. He likewise belongs to the Commercial Club and to the Omaha Athletic Club, and he has many friends in these organiza- tions. Step by step he has advanced since starting out in the business world in his youthful days, and his orderly progress has brought him into prominent. relations.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.