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 8
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HISTORY OF NEWARK
manager, printer and sales agent. The success of this publication gave him recognition among the other boys, and when he was at the high school he was elected the editor of the publication gotten out by the students, entitled "The Annual." These early indications of his tastes and ability were later borne out by the achievements of his manhood.
Mr. Beyer is of German origin, his parents having been Karl and Natalie Beyer, who came in 1849 to Newark from Thueringen, Germany, his father going into oil cloth manufacturing. They were the parents of ten children, three of whom survive, viz .: Mrs. E. D. Sommer; Miss Carrie E. Beyer, a teacher in the Hamburg Place School, and the subject of this sketch, Herman E. L. Beyer, who was born in this city in 1865. His early education was gained at the Twelfth Ward German-English School, being sent later to the South Market street public school and then to the Newark High School, now known as the Barringer High School. While at this school his gifts of expression found recognition and he won the prize for oratory in a spirited contest. The subject of his oration was "The Sublimity of Labor," a theme that his later life developed in action, as he has always been a hard and indefatigable worker, sparing no pains to attain a desired end. The taking of this prize was a triumph all the more remarkable owing to the fact that the boy was accustomed to the use of German in his home. He was a student of distinction in other branches of study and early showed literary characteristics. He graduated from the high school in 1884, having gained from the institution all that it could give in the way of instruction and training. About this time the new regulations of the Federal Civil Service Commission were being put into operation, and applying for a clerkship in the postoffice, he took the civil service examination for the position, being the second candidate in Newark to pass. In the postoffice he remained for four years, acquitting himself with credit in the work of the position, but cherish- ing in the meantime his literary ambitions. At the end of four years he was given a furlough, and went to Portland, Oregon, where he liked the climate so well that he resigned his government position and entered the employ of a large paper firm. During his sojourn in the west he obtained work as correspondent of several eastern papers, doing this in his spare time. His undoubted talent for this kind of work became more and more evident as time passed, and he determined to give his whole energy to the occupation he preferred. Ho returned, therefore, to Newark after one year's stay in . Portland, and entered the employ of the Evening News as a reporter. It was not long before he had made himself familiar with all the machinery of news-gathering, and his decided executive ability began to look about for fresh fields for conquest. The position of managing editor of the Newark Morning Times was now offered him, and he entered upon the work with a vigor that was characteristic of the man. In this position he gave abundant evidence of the force, originality and resourcefulness that are the hall-marks of the leader of enterprise. After a time he determined to go into business for himself and, with T. E. Burke, then city editor of The News, bought out the publication called Town Talk, and later The Ledger, establishing in addition the printing business at 44 Mechanic street. The success which has followed his management of these enterprises is abundant proof of the wisdom of this step, and gives ample testimony to his ability as a leading business man.
Mr. Beyer is a Democrat in his political principles. He ran at one time for the office of school commissioner and at another for that of freeholder, but was defeated both times owing to the fact that he was a Democrat
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BIOGRAPHICAL
residing in a Republican ward, and his failure was almost a foregone conclusion. He is a member of Grace Church.
Mr. Beyer is a member of Northern Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons, and of Newark Lodge, No. 21, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He also belongs to Unity Conclave, Improved Order of Heptasophs, having held for a number of years the office of Archon, the highest in the gift of the order. He is a member of the Arion Singing Society, of the Gottfried Krueger Association, and of the Joel Parker Association.
He married, in 1895, Sophie, daughter of the late John and Anna Sartori, of Newark. John Sartori was a well-known musician of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Beyer have one son, Harvey, now in his sixteenth year, and a student in the Newark Business College. They have resided for the past fifteen years at 1126a Broad street.
WILBER F. BROWER
The city of Newark is one of many years standing, yet has not outgrown its youthful days in the matter of increase in size. That this is the case is undoubtedly owing to the exertions of a number of energetic business men who have the welfare and development of the city sincerely at heart. Prominently identified with this class of citizens is Wilber F. Brower, presi- dent of the Mutual Realty Corporation of Newark, a business company which was organized by him.
Mr. Brower was born in Oyster Bay, Long Island, November 2, 1862, a son of Frank A. Brower, who was associated in the shipping business with his father in the city of New York. Mr. Brower, whose name heads this sketch, attended the public schools of his native district, and was graduated from the high school of the town. At a suitable age he entered upon his business career, becoming associated with the International Shirt and Collar Company, a concern with which he was closely identified for the long period of twenty-five years. He resigned from this enterprise in 1908, at which time he organized the Mutual Realty Corporation of Newark, in which he was elected to the office of president, Edward W. Gray being chosen to fill the dual office of treasurer and secretary. The corporation has been emi- nently successful in its affairs, and has been the means of developing land in the outskirts of the city, as well as making great changes in the heart of . the city. The fraternal affiliations of Mr. Brower are with Kane Lodge, No. 55, Free and Accepted Masons, of Newark; Lodge No. 1246, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Summit; Royal Arcanum, of Summit; Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Brower married Lois G. Bryant, of Brooklyn, New York, a direct descendant of William Cullen Bryant and the Scudders, of Long Island, where these families were among the early settlers. Children: Percival S., who is associated with his father in business; James A. M., with a mining engineering company of Pennsylvania; Maybelle, wife of Rev. Jesse Lee Peck; Wilberta and Frances, at home. As a good citizen, as well as in his capacity of a busi- ness man, Mr. Brower has justly earned an honorable reputation. He has > the confidence of all who know him, is gracious and hospitable in his manner, and takes a foremost part in any project which tends to the welfare of the community.
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HISTORY OF NEWARK
GEORGE W. DAVIS
The hardware industry of the city of Newark, New Jersey, is ably repre- sented by George W. Davis, who has at all times been a capable exponent of the spirit of the age in his efforts to advance the progress and improvement of business methods in every direction. He has made the best possible use of the opportunities which have come in his way, and every action of his life conforms to a high standard.
Mr. Davis was born in Newark, August 4, 1866, and is the son of Benjamin H. and Anna A. (Tolen) Davis. The Webster street public school provided him with his elementary education, and this was amply supple- mented by a course at the Bryant & Stratton Business College, from which he was graduated at the age of fourteen years. He at once entered upon his business career, and found small difficulty, with his excellent credentials, in finding a suitable position. This was with Benjamin Myer, who was even at that time a well-known hardware dealer of the city. The faithful attention which Mr. Davis displayed in the performance of all tasks which came within his province, and the ambition and energy which characterized everything he undertook, were not lost sight of by his employer, and as a direct conse- quence, Mr. Davis was advanced from one post to another, each being suc- cessively a more responsible one, until he became general manager of the concern, an office he is still filling with unabated executive ability. The firm, which in the course of years has greatly increased its scope, is now a corporation, doing business under the name of The Benjamin Myer Company. As a manager of men, as well as a manager of business affairs, Mr. Davis has richly earned commendation. He is a close student of human nature, and has the gift of being able to appoint the right men to the right places. The result is that all of the departments he has under his control are under proper supervision, and all work together as one harmonious whole.
He has never aspired to holding public office, thinking he was best serving the interests of the community in building up its business prosperity as far as lay in his power, but he takes an active interest in all matters concerning the public welfare, and gives his staunch support to the principles of the Republican party. His fraternal affiliations are numerous, among them being the thirty-second degree in the Masonic fraternity, past master in Northern Lodge, No. 25, Free and Accepted Masons; past district deputy of the Sixth Masonic District of New Jersey; member of Jersey City Consistory and Salaam Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Newark.
Mr. Davis married Rose, daughter of John and Yetta Bierman, and they have had one child, Le Roy, who is now (1913) eighteen years of age. As a citizen and as a business man, Mr. Davis has the esteem of the community. Ilis business transactions have always been conducted on the lines of strict integrity, and he has always sustained the character of a true man in every sense of the word. Faithful in every detail to any trust committed to him, he is generous in his conduct and feelings to all.
BENJAMIN STAINSBY WHITEHEAD
Benjamin Stainsby Whitehead, son of Edmund Bailey Whitehead and Elizabeth (Stainsby ) Whitehead, was born in Newark, New Jersey, January 24, 1858, and now (1913) is living in that city. He comes of revolutionary stock, his great-grandfather, Daniel Whitehead, being a resident of Dutchess County, New York, as early as 1760. . His grandfather, Stephen G. White-
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John Ilhinguwith
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BIOGRAPHICAL
head, was a Methodist preacher of the early days, ordained by Bishop Francis Asbury. His father, Edmund Bailey Whitehead, was a resident of Newark for over fifty years, and for eighteen years was assistant collector in the depart- ment of internal revenue under Presidents Lincoln, Grant and Garfield. But it is not alone that man should inherit from a good ancestry; he must be able to sustain the fair record of a name and add his own share to the epoch of his existence as a worker and as a thinker. This Mr. Whitehead has done, and there is no vocation that furthers more the dissemination of knowledge and thereby contributes to the general advancement of mankind than the art of printing, a work that Mr. Whitehead has been engaged in many years with great success.
After a public school education he took a course in a business college, following this with a course in chemistry at Cooper Institute, New York City. It was after this that he learned the art of the immortal Gutenberg as practiced at the present day, and in 1873 he commenced business for himself, and this printing establishment, from a small beginning, has grown to such proportions that it rivals all concerns of a like character in the United States.
In politics Mr. Whitehead favors the Republican party, and in religious faith is a Methodist, being a member of Centenary Methodist Church, and a trustee of that body. He is a member of St. John's Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Salaam Temple, Mystic Shrine, and has received his thirty-second degree, and his clubs are: The Essex Club, the Union Club, of which he is president; North End Club of Newark, the Forest Hill Golf Club, and the Au- tomobile and Motor Club of New Jersey. He is a director of the Manufac- turers' National Bank of Newark, a trustee of the Centenary Collegiate Insti- tute, president of the Whitehead and Hoag Company, and one of the managers of the Newark Young Men's Christian Association.
Mr. Whitehead married Fannie M. Thompson, born in Mendham, New Jersey, November 2, 1861, daughter of George M. and Elizabeth (Smith) Thompson. Children: 1. Raymond Benjamin, born February 22, 1883; mar- ried Florence M. Rowe; one child, Muriel, born March 12, 1906. 2. Helen Thompson, born December 3, 1886; married Roy F. Anthony, October 20, 1909.
JOHN ILLINGWORTH
In the phenomenally rapid development of the country in the last few decades the place of the inventor has been one of the utmost importance. It has been through him that many of the great sources of energy have been harnessed and taught to do the bidding of man. Of the great products that have contributed the most considerable share to the stupendous conquest of nature that marks the present era, iron, without question, takes the foremost place. The man who has, therefore, perfected the processes of the manu- facture of steel has conferred a great and lasting benefit on the race.
John Illingworth has not only done notable work as an inventor but has, as a manufacturer on a large scale, exercised a potent influence on the growth of the steel industry in this country. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1836, the son of Robert and Mary ( Broadhead) Illingworth. From both parents he comes of the very best and most sturdy of the old land-owing yeoman stock. His father had been for many years the tax collector of the neighborhood, and such had been the integrity with which he had filled that position that he had gained the sobriquet throughout the county of "Honest Robert." It has been said of him that he was "a con-
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HISTORY OF NEWARK
sistent churchman and one whose Christianity was exemplified in his ardent desire to accord to others those rights which he claimed for himself, without ever meddling in their affairs." He was a farmer and had a family of nine children, whom he expected to follow in his steps.
John Illingworth had the usual educational chances of such surround- ings, scanty, perhaps, in the lore of books, but broad and vitalizing in all those elements that go towards the formation of valuable character. One of the sons of a family of such numbers learns early the lesson of self- reliance and helpfulness. He attended the local schools only until he was thirteen years old, when he had to go to work in earnest. His career had therefore the obstacles which, overcome, have been the first training of the self-made man. In 1835, when he was about eighteen years old, he left England and came to this country, then considered the land of opportunity. One of his brothers, Benjamin by name, had preceded him here, and being a skilled mechanic, had obtained employment with the Adirondack Steel Works in Jersey City, and had become manager of the hammer department. These works were notable as the first crucible steel works in the country, and there young John Illingworth secured a berth through the kind offices of his brother. Benjamin Illingworth had learned the trade in the Sheffield Steel Works, in England, and afterwards became a recognized authority in the steel industry in this country as an organizer of the James R. Thompson Company, a large firm of steel manufacturers, with which he remained con- nected for over twenty-five years.
John Illingworth learned the trade under the eye of his brother, and showed such aptitude for the work, and such zeal and mechanical ability, that there was soon no detail of the business that he had not made thoroughly his own. There was nothing known about the processes of steel manufacture that he did not make part of his mental equipment. In 1864 there was organized in Newark a firm of steel makers, the first of that industry that had been seen in that city. Of this firm of Prentice, Atha & Co., Mr. Illing- worth now became a partner, continuing with them until 1871, when the firm underwent a change and was known as Benjamin, Atha & Co. Mr. Illing- worth remained with the reorganized firm and was, indeed, one of the leading spirits in all of the most important work done by them. For twenty years the enterprise went under that style, but in 1891 the name was again changed, this time to Atha & Illingworth, and it has become one of the leading houses in the steel industry in the country, known and esteemed for its reliability and the uniformly excellent quality of its output. The large and well equipped plant is conducted on the most scientifically exact principles, and gives employment to about seven hundred hands. The principal product of the works is crucible and open-hearth steel. Several machines of Mr. Illingworth's invention are also manufactured.
A list of the inventions of Mr. Illingworth must necessarily be an incomplete one, as many have gone into the running of the works without any special record having been made. One of those which have a large prac- tical value is his device for casting skate steel, in which hard and soft steel are cast in combination, one side being soft and the other being hard. Another important one is the "roll discs," a device for rolling and polishing steel. This machine, invented and patented in 1882, and later materially improved and made more extensively useful, has become one of great value and utility. A device which he invented and installed to prevent the piping in the casting of ingots has been widely adopted. An improvement in this machine was later made by which ingots can be cast and compressed at the same time.
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Frank Sommer
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There are only a few of the many machines which Mr. Illingworth has invented and put into operation, and has also found extremely remunerative. But he is an enthusiast in all that pertains to the mystery of steel, and finds his greatest reward in the interest of the work itself. After an exceptionally active business career in which he can look back with pride at having been the one through whom several important steps have been taken in developing the natural resources of the country, he has retired from business and now resides at his beautiful home on Park place, Newark, where he surrounds himself with the interests of a cultivated leisure. Though an ardent believer in the ideals and political conceptions of the founders of the country of his adoption, he has never been willing, though often urged, to take any part in political affairs, lending his aid and counsel, however, readily to all move- ments that look to social and industrial betterment.
. Mr. Illingworth married, in 1870, Maggie V. Williams, of Newark, and they have three children: Clarence, William H. and Ida. M.
FRANK H. SOMMER
Frank H. Sommer is one of those citizens of whom any community may be justly proud, as he has risen to the position that he now holds unaided by any of the ordinary circumstances that favor a boy's advancement. He is a self-made man in the highest sense of the word.
He was born of German parents in Newark, September 3, 1872, and until he was six years old he went to the old German and English school on Green street, later attending the Washington street public school, and graduating from it when he was only twelve years old. This was the only chance at the advantages of an academic education that he had, and even this school work was broken in upon by the necessity for helping in his own sup- port. In order to make money he sold papers out of school hours. Upon leaving school he secured a place with a broker as an office boy. He at once showed those qualities of reliability, energy and directness, that indicated the trend of his character, and gave evidence of his ability to succeed. When his employer was a little later indicted for perjury young Sommer became an important witness. His bearing at this time, and the clearness and candor of his answers so impressed the examining lawyer, Mr. W. B. Guild, that he took him into his own office, and gave him the idea of an entirely new outlook on life. It was with the idea of training him to be a lawyer that Mr. Guild had taken him under his protection, and, following out this course, young Sommer now entered upon work at the Metropolis Law School of New York, and after his day's work was over at the office he would attend the lectures in New York City. He graduated from this school as the honor man of his class in 1893, returning in the same year to lecture upon the subject of "Pleading at the Common Law." Two years after this he was made a professor in the school, and when it was later merged with the law department of the New York Law University, he was continued in his position as lecturer, this time on "Real Property, Mortgages and Suretyship," a post which he has held to the present day. The university has conferred upon him the degrees of Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws and Doctor of Jurisprudence. Upon the death of the former editor, Austin Abbott, he was given the very responsible work of the editor of the University Law Review.
Immediately following his graduation, he had been admitted to practice at the New Jersey bar, and had entered a partnership, becoming a member of the firm of Guild, Lum & Sommer. Hle was only twenty-five when he was
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HISTORY OF NEWARK
admitted as counsellor, having already, despite the disadvantages of his early education, made for himself a name in the profession for directness and manliness, combined with the most unmistakable ability. For a time he was compelled through ill-health to withdraw from the firm and devote him- self entirely to teaching, returning to the active practice of his profession when, after a time, his health was restored. The firm then established under the style of Sommer & Adams has occupied a position of honor and con- tinually growing reputation at the bar of this part of the State. As a lawyer of conspicuous ability and discrimination, he has been made a member of the State Board of Examiners upon the admission of attorneys and coun- sellors, and has also been the president of the Lawyers' Club. He was, in 1904, elected to the Board of Education, but his election to the position of Sheriff of Essex County by the flattering plurality of 16,000, necessitated his resignation from that office before the end of his first term. Governor Fort appointed him, in 1908, as a member of the State Board of Railroad Com- missioners.
A movement of reform which has been known as the "Roseville move- ment" was in a very large measure due to his high and fine sense of justice, and to an aggressive determination to right the wrong shown by Mr. Som- mer. In 1903 a Lackawanna train ran into a trolley car filled with school children at Clifton avenue, a grade crossing, and a large number of these young girls were killed. This was in the Roseville district, and was the occasion for the beginning for a great movement on the part of the people of Essex County against many forms of intrenched and corporate injustice and selfishness. At a meeting of the citizens of Roseville Mr. Sommer made a stirring speech, calling for the most energetic and immediate action against the encroachments of the corporations upon the rights of the people. This speech was like a bugle peal and roused the meeting to the most vigorous action. Mr. Sommer was appointed chairman of the committee on resolu- tions, and this produced an immediate and forceful arraignment of the wrongs of the people at the hands of the corporations and a vigorous demand for their correction. These went below the immediate disaster under con- sideration, and brought up the question of the rights of the people who had conferred the franchises which these corporations held. Mr. Sommer's elo- quent presentment of the subject did much to arouse public sentiment throughout the whole region and in time the deathtraps were abolished and the desired result obtained. The Roseville movement grew into an organiza- tion of the city, and he was appointed its counsel, appearing everywhere in public and putting into effective form the demands of the people. He spoke before the Board of Works and before the Legislature, and before other bodies of influential men, in every case making a marked impression as a tribune of the people. His political beliefs are Republican, and he has taken a leading share in all the progressive reforms of the party.
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