USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Newark > A History of the city of Newark, New Jersey : embracing practically two and a half centuries, 1666-1913 Volume III > Part 35
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In spite of the constant and increasingly large demands of his business, Mr. Hedden is interested in important outside affairs. He is a communicant of the First Congregational Church of East Orange, as is also his wife.
On July 2, 1884, Mr. Hedden married Mabel Campbell, daughter of George Washington and Susan Emeline (Tompkins) Stevenson. They have two children: Myra McKay, born May 3, 1886, and Donald Stevenson, born June 4, 1895.
EDWARD M. WALDRON
Among the men who have been important factors in determining the history of Newark, New Jersey, in many directions, is Edward M. Waldron, who is not alone a builder of the city, being the head of the firm of Edward M. Waldron, Incorporated, but who also holds official positions in a number of other noteworthy business enterprises, and who has been and is promi- nent in public affairs to the greater benefit of the community.
Mr. Waldron was born in Ireland, November 1, 1864, and at sixteen years of age came to this country. He attended a private school, and after- wards the national schools of his district, up to this age. Since then he has been a close student in the school of experience, where he has acquired a knowledge through his perseverance and desire to learn, coupled with the intelligence which is far above the ordinary. The difficulties which he neces- sarily encountered seem but to have increased his innate ability and he has been advancing step by step.
He organized the firm of E. M. Waldron & Company in 1888, and con- tinued at its head until 1912, when he retired for a short period. After a few months of this life, Mr. Waldron's natural activity would not permit him to remain longer in comparative idleness, and he again re-entered the business world, organizing under the firm name of Edward M. Waldron, Incorporated, taking with him in this company several of his older employees, giving them an interest in the business as a reward for their years of faithful service. His connection with this company is largely of an advisory capacity.
Mr. Waldron is a member of the Newark Board of Trade and one of its directors. He is also advisory director of the New World Life Insurance Company, director of the New Jersey Eagle Fire Insurance Company, and of the Washington Trust Company. He is also president of Waldron Brothers Realty Company, and the Municipal Realty Company. He is a member of numerous fraternal and religious organizations, and is also connected with many Democratic clubs of the city.
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The political career of Mr. Waldron has been an interesting one. From the time that he became of age he took a lively interest in matters political, and was elected from the Sixth Ward in 1895 to the Common Council, and re-elected in 1898. He served as a member of a finance public building committee, and erection and repair committee. During the last year of his service he was elected president of the Common Council. In 1906 he was one of the Democratic candidates for the nomination for mayor. In 1912 he was selected by the Democrats of his county as Presidential Elector. He was appointed by Governor Wilson as delegate to the Deep Water Way Convention in New London, Connecticut, in September, 1912.
Mr. Waldron married Margaret E., daughter of James Moran, a well- known builder of Newark, and the children are: Helen R., Mary G., William J., Edward M., Margaret A., James R., Austin A. and Robert Emmet.
Mr. Waldron is a man of integrity, and stands high in the business world, where he is well known and his opinions of men and things are much sought after. He resides at No. 208 Mt. Pleasant avenue, a place made famous by Washington Irving, Aaron Burr, and others of their time.
HERBERT H. COLEMAN
Herbert H. Coleman, who for a number of years has faithfully per- formed the duties of general agent for New Jersey for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, came from Minne- apolis, Minnesota, where he was formerly secretary of the Minnesota Loan and Trust Company. He is connected with a number of other business interests in Newark, all of which show his marked ability as a business manager.
The Newark Agency, of which Mr. Coleman is general manager, was opened by Mr. C. A. Paul, of Newark, who served as general agent from 1886 to 1892. Ile was succeeded by Mr. L. B. Robinson, of Bloomfield, New Jersey, who served in that capacity until 1902. Mr. Robinson was succeeded by O. L. Gooding, who filled the office until 1907, when Mr. Cole- man, the present incumbent, was appointed.
D. FREDERICK BURNETT
D. Frederick Burnett, senior member of the firm of Burnett & Cornish, counsellors-at-law, with offices in National State Bank Building, Newark, New Jersey, was born September 20, 1879, in Newark, New Jersey, son of William B. and Katherine (Crane) Burnett.
He obtained his preliminary education in the public schools of Newark, including the high school, and this course of study was supplemented by attendance at Rutgers College, from which he graduated in 1901 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, after which he entered the New York University School of Law, graduating therefrom in 1904 with degree of Bachelor of Laws. The same year he attained the degree of Master of Science from Rutgers College, and delivered the master's oration at the Commencement. He then returned to the New York University and took a post-graduate course, and in 1905 obtained the degree of Juris Doctor. In 1901 he entered the office of Guild, Lum & Tamblyn, remaining until 1903, when he was appointed secretary of the New Jersey Commission for building the Tuberculosis Sanatarium at Glen Gardner, in which capacity he rendered
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effective service. In May, 1905, he entered into partnership with Frank H. Sommer, and this relation continued until the election of Mr. Sommer to the office of sheriff, in November, 1905, whereupon the partnership was dissolved. In May, 1908, he entered into partnership with Gilbert M. Cornish, under the style of Burnett & Cornish, to which H. Theodore Sorg was admitted in January, 1913, and they are now in receipt of an extensive and remunerative practice.
In November, 1908, Mr. Burnett was appointed instructor in the New Jersey Law School, and in October, 1909, made Professor of Law at that institution, continuing until his resignation therefrom in June, 1913. In April, 1913, he was made Associate Professor of Law at New York Univer- sity School of Law, to take effect October 1, 1913. Mr. Burnett is a member of Hope Lodge, No. 124, Free and Accepted Masons; Delta Upsilon fra- ternity, and Phi Beta Kappa; Essex County Lawyers' Club, and Down Town Club of Newark.
Mr. Burnett married, September 20, 1905, Ida Elizabeth Ball, born October 31, 1881, in Newark, New Jersey, daughter of Edwin and Sarah (Crowther) Ball. Children: Katherine Elizabeth, Robert Daniel, Richard Frederick. The family residence is at No. 525 Scotland road, Orange, New Jersey.
WILLIAM HENRY SPANJER.
William Henry Spanjer, who, with his brother, Henry J. Spanjer, owns and operates the largest manufactory of wooden letters and all wood sign material in the country, is not a native of Newark, but came to that city in 1893, since which time he has been closely identified with the manu- facturing and lumber interests of the place. Like his father before him, he has spent many years in acquiring the practical knowledge of his business, which has so largely contributed to its phenomenal success.
He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 16, 1869, and passed his early years there, attending the public schools of the place. He did not, however, stay in school for any considerable period, but left while still young to enter the employ of the Phoenix Furniture Company, in whose factory he worked for a time. He was next employed by the Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company in their mill, where he gained much knowledge of wood- working. that was to be valuable to him in later years. While still little more than a boy, he followed Greeley's advice to the youth of this land, and went west to Los Angeles, in the employ of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. About this time his younger brother, Henry J. Spanjer, also went to California, but he remained in the same line of business in which he had been employed, and in which he was later to join. his brother.
In 1893 William Henry Spanjer went to New York, where he spent several months, after which he came to Newark, where he was employed by William J. Dorn, of the Chapin Hall Lumber Company. In 1894 he was joined by his brother, and the two laid the foundation of their present large business by establishing a factory on Passaic street, Newark, with the Murphy Hardy Lumber Company, opposite the Erie railroad depot. In this enterprise they were so successful that in May, 1898, they were obliged to move to more spacious quarters, locating in a five-story building at the foot of Centre street, near the Centre street station of the Pennsylvania railroad. During their location on Passaic street our subject returned to Michigan for a time, but 1896 again saw him in Newark in active charge
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of the flourishing business. In their new quarters the two brothers have prospered mightily. Their concern, which now includes in its operations the manufacture of all the parts of wooden signs (sign boards, letters, scrolls, carvings, screen signs, wire signs, transparencies, etc.,) has gained a reputation throughout the United States and Canada, and is doing some business in foreign countries. In the wood material they deal with the sign trade exclusively, doing the work for several thousand of the largest sign painters throughout the country. Their business increased so that in 1905 a branch mill was established in Chicago in order to come in closer touch with western business, which has increased the business, and also doubled the output in the last few years, and here Mr. Henry J. Spanjer is in charge.
William Henry Spanjer, who is president of the company, has devoted himself mainly to the artistic side of the business, in the designing and carving of signs and letters, while his brother, who is vice-president and treasurer, is an expert in the operation of all machinery and factory appli- ances in connection with the business. Their supervision of the work turned out by mills is direct and personal, and nothing is sent away until it has been examined and passed upon by one of the two. Some of the large letters manufactured by Spanjer Brothers are those for the sign for the Singer Sew- ing Machine Company at Elizabethport, New Jersey, which measure ten feet high, the sign itself being fifteen feet by six hundred long. Their specialty at present is the manufacture of patterns and models for letters, tablets, figures, trademarks, monograms, etc., for casting in Bronze, and they are doing work for several of the largest manufacturers of that particular line. Beside his association with Spanjer Brothers, Mr. Spanjer is also a partner in Neill & Spanjer, dealers in mahogany and all pattern lumber.
Mr. Spanjer was married to Miss Matilda Vreeland, of Newark, Febru- ary 22, 1903, their union being blessed with six children: Lillian, Marjorie, William Henry, Jr., Raymond, Florence and Nella.
Mr. Spanjer is a member of the Newark Board of Trade, of the National Association of Manufacturers, of the New Jersey Automobile and Motor Club, of St. Albans Lodge, No. 68, Free and Accepted Masons; William Walter Phelps Council, Junior Order United American Mechanics; of Com- mandery No. 5, Knights Templar; of the National Turn Verein; the Young Men's Christian Association; the Tall Cedars, and of the National Citizen's League.
ROLAND INSLEE HOPPER
Among the large class of men who have assisted materially in develop- ing the industrial and business interests of the city of Newark, the name of Roland Inslee Hopper holds a place well up in the list. Not alone has he been engaged in business interests of great magnitude, but he has taken the initiative in many new and original enterprises. He is of Dutch descent, the American progenitor having come to this country from Holland about the year 1637. Inslee A. Hopper, father of Mr. Hopper, was the first presi- dent of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, holding this office until a short time before his death, a period of twenty-two years; he was for many years a director of the Merchants' National Bank, and owned the silk mill on Bank street, known as the old New Jersey Silk Mill. He married Mary C., daughter of Ezra Gould, of the firm of Gould & Eberhardt, of Newark. Andrew Hopper, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was the first vice-president of the Prudential Insurance Company of Newark.
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Roland Inslee Hopper was born in Paterson, New Jersey, April 27, 1871, in the house owned and built by his father. He acquired his educa- tion in the public schools of Newark, under private tuition, and at the Berkeley Military School, New York. Ambitious, energetic, and very natur- ally desirous of visiting new scenes, in 1891, in company with several other men of similar tastes, he went West and was one of the first settlers at Lake Cushman, in the State of Washington. He and his companions sur- veyed the mountains and streams and made numerous maps and charts of that section of the country, which were later of great value to the govern- ment in determining the topography of the country. As a financial invest- ment they purchased a large tract of lumber land and created an industry in that direction. Hunting and fishing, in which sports Mr. Hopper is an expert and an enthusiast, also engaged a considerable portion of the time, and during the sixteen years of his stay in the West he had ample time for those forms of recreation. For the greater portion of this time he and his companions were ranching. At the expiration of sixteen years Mr. Hopper returned to the East, engaging in the insurance business in Newark, which he abandoned in favor of electrical enterprises. In 1910 he associated him- self in a business partnership with Sylvester Agens. This venture has been eminently successful, and is now one of the leading concerns of its kind in the city.
The travels of Mr. Hopper have been extensive, he having been to the Pacific coast no less than nine times, and to Europe three times. He has also visited Alaska, and on one of his trips from San Francisco to New York he made the passage by way of Cape Horn. While out West he joined the First Regiment of the State of Washington, and has retained his membership up to the present time. He also holds membership in the Ilolland Country Gun Club, and his ardor as a disciple of Izaak Walton has not abated in the course of years. He is active in the social life of the city, and, while he takes the interest of a good citizen in the public affairs of the community, he has never desired to hold public office. Devoted to the obligations and responsibilities of family and friendship, Mr. Hopper is a type of the highest and best American citizenship.
Mr. Hopper married Kathryn (Gillette) Munn, widow of Edward Munn, and has children: Inslee A., born in 1900, and Katherine Hamilton.
JOHN H. ELY
John H. Ely, born in New Hope, Pennsylvania, June 13, 1851, is a son of Matthias Cowell and Keziah (Stackhouse) Ely, and a descendant of Joshua Ely, who came from Dunham, Nottingham, England, in 1635, and purchased four hundred acres of land in what was then called Burlingham County, New Jersey. The lot on which the State House, Trenton, now stands, adjoined his tract on the south. The father of Mr. Ely was engaged in the lumber business in Pennsylvania for a number of years, but about twenty years prior to his death moved to New Jersey, where he died, February 8, 1895.
Mr. Ely received his education in the schools of New Jersey, and when the time came to take up a career, chose the profession of architecture, for which he fitted himself by diligent study. In 1885 he took up his residence in. Newark, where he has since lived. In his profession he has been very successful, his patronage increasing steadily year by year. With the assist- ance of his son, Wilson C. Ely, he designed and built the Newark City
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Hospital, the Newark City Hall, and many other important municipal and private buildings.
Mr. Ely is enterprising and public-spirited, doing all in his power to advance the interests of his adopted city. He is an advocate of the principles of Democracy, and in 1891 was elected on that party's ticket as a member of the City Council, was re-elected in 1894, and on the organization of that body the following year was unanimously elected president. He used his official power to promote the city's welfare in many ways. He also served for two years as trustee of the Newark City Home. At the end of his term as alderman, he retired from active participation in politics, and has never since sought the nomination for any office, although repeatedly urged to do so. In 1909 and 1910 Mr. Ely was appointed a member of the Shade Tree Commission; in 1911 a trustee of the Free Public Library; and in 1912 a member of the board of directors of the Newark Museum Association.
Mr. Ely is prominent in fraternal circles, having attained the thirty- second degree in Free Masonry, and being also a member of Salaam Temple, Mystic Shrine, New Jersey, which was organized in his office; and of the Knights of Pythias. He is also a member of several clubs and societies, including the Essex Club, Newark; the Washington Association of New Jersey; the New Jersey Historical Society, and the Carteret Book Club.
Mr. Ely married, in 1871, in Hightstown, New Jersey, Lydia Helen, daughter of Dr. Ezekiel Wilson, and granddaughter of Rev. Peter Wilson, who was on the circuit embracing Hightstown, Hamilton Square and Trenton early in the nineteenth century. Children: 1. Wilson C., his father's partner in business; married, June 2, 1897, Grace R. Chamberlain, of James- burg, New Jersey. 2. Ida May, married, in February, 1898, Dr. E. D. Bemiss, of Newark.
So conscientious and just have been the methods by which Mr. Ely has won his excellent professional standing, that all who know him agree that he well merits his success in his profession and his high standing as a helpful and entirely dependable citizen.
LOUIS V. ARONSON
The career of Louis V. Aronson furnishes a conspicuous example of that combination of striking mental abilities united to scientific training of a high order and to a character which unites in an unusual degree enthusi- asm, ambition, and a resistless energy. The successful men of America have made this type of business man so familiar as a product of the soil that to the European it is scarcely short of incredible that the country should pro- duce so many examples of the same kind. Coming of parents to whom the free and inspiring atmosphere of these United States has acted as a vitalizer, the youth of an old world parentage find here the opportunities that were denied their parents, and the energy and the enthusiasm for the new ideals that has characterized the parents and caused them to seek new homes seems to act on the children as a tonic wine and bring out an Americanism more intense than that of the Americans themselves. The country owes much to this virile new blood which constantly and emphatically confirms the hopes for free institutions. that were entertained for them by the fathers of the Republic.
Of such a stock comes Louis V. Aronson, a chemist of high rank, a scientific manufacturer, and a business man who has given to the com- munity a hundredfold the worth of the training he, in common with the
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other boys of his time and city, received at the hands of the municipality. Even a few instances of such returns would be sufficient to justify the system of public instruction that is carried out at the present day.
Louis V. Aronson is a son of Simon and Jennie Aronson, who were natives of Prussia. He was born December 25, 1869, in New York City, and there his boyhood was spent. He was sent to the public schools, showing as a young lad that keen, ready, and resourceful mind which was an earnest of the future man. His natural bias being strongly mechanical, his choice after leaving school was the Hebrew Technical Institute, and there he remained for several years making himself so entirely a master of the sub- jects of metallurgy and the science of electro-metallurgical chemistry that he attracted the attention of the authorities at the head of the Baron de Hirsch School. He therefore left school to become an instructor in these sciences at that institution. Leaving this position to seek the wider oppor- tunities of business, he obtained work with a firm who made a specialty of the manufacture of rubber jewelry. Young Mr. Aronson had that type of mind which gains from every experience, and he learned much during the year he spent here, giving at the same time generously of his own large stock of information on the theory of chemistry. His next engagement was with M. Hecht & Brother, a firm which made artistic metal goods of a high class, and here he found scope for the extensive acquisitions he had made in metallurgy, putting into practical use his knowledge of the processes of treating metals. His information, ingenuity and enthusiasm won speedy recognition, and it was not long before he had acquired an interest in the firm, putting his energies into the work of the New York factory, and remaining for several years.
The year 1897 saw the establishment of the Art Metal Works on Rail- road avenue, Newark, New Jersey, but after a short time the quarters were found to be entirely inadequate to the volume of business, and a new location was found on Market street, with salesrooms in New York City. With the entrance of Mr. Aronson into this organization began a new era in the manufacture of high class metal goods, and such were the improve- ments in the treatment and processes of the making that an entirely new grade of the highest type was developed and the American product was able to hold its own against the finest European importation. So enormous soon became the influx of new trade that the business was compelled again to seek larger accommodations. The industry finally secured the large and well-equipped plant where the product is now made in Mulberry street. The building is in itself a valuable piece of property, and is a remarkable instance of industrial growth along the healthy lines of scientific thoroughness as the basis of the manufacture, and of a sound, generous and straightforward business policy. The works consist of a four-story brick building, 110 feet in width by 113 in depth, and built with such structural solidity that further additions may be added when they become necessary.
Mr. Aronson has taken out nine different patents upon improvements in the processes of metallurgy as applied to high art metal work and jewelry. Through his ingenuity it has been made possible to reproduce the most elaborate and exquisite workmanship and bring it within the range of the connoisseur of moderate means. He fortunately has with the skill, deftness of touch and mechanical ingenuity of the artisan, the taste and imagination of the sculptor and artist. So great an authority has he become in electro-metallurgy that he is retained as consulting chemist for a number
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of large manufacturers, and in this branch of science is the court of ultimate appeal not only in the United States but in the world.
His experiments, which he has been conducting since his early youth, resulted in 1893 in the discovery of a process for electrically producing tin- plate. Much money was expended upon improving the process, and an organization was formed to put the process upon a business basis. The tariff agitation that at that time was before the public mind made it neces- sary for the syndicate to suspend its production and the subsequent reduc- tion on the duty very largely took from the commercial profits of the discovery, but the process has been installed in some of the largest plants in the country, and has been of great practical value to the whole industry.
Another discovery of Mr. Aronson was the wind-match, for which he applied for a patent December 29, 1896. His inventive genius had found a chemical combination which insured combustion in the highest wind, a boon to the tourist as well as to the explorer and the hunter. The patent was granted October 26, 1897, and a testimony to its merits is shown by the following letter written by the former scientific chemist to the Royal Society of Great Britain in response to an inquiry of some capitalists as to the chemical and commercial importance of the match:
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