USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the Genesee country (western New York) comprising the counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates, Volume IV > Part 49
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WILLIAM F. MAIER
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Mr. Maier is a faithful communicant of the Roman Catholic church and has taken the fourth degree in the Knights of Columbus. He is also connected with the Knights of St. John, the Foresters of America and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He has been honored with the presidency of the Rochester Funeral Directors Associa- tion, for a number of years, and is also a member of the national association, the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and the local Automobile Club. Mr. Maier is in- terested in matters of public moment and stands deservedly high in the esteem of his fellow citizens, for his life has been an exemplary one in all respects.
RAYMOND FULLER SWETT.
Raymond Fuller Swett, president of the A. L. Swett Iron Works and the Erie Pump & Engine Works of Medina, was born in that village on November 13, 1885, his parents being Albert L. and Lucinda M. (Fuller) Swett. Following his gradua- tion from the Medina high school in 1904 he entered Yale University, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1909. Soon thereafter, his health having become impaired, he spent a year on Eaton's ranch at Wolf, Wyoming. In 1910 he became secretary of the A. L. Swett Electric Light & Power Company of Medina, thus serving until 1916, while during the succeeding year he was officially identified with its successor, the Western New York Utilities Com- pany, Incorporated, in the capacity of secretary. He also acted as treasurer of the A. L. Swett Iron Works and the Erie Pump & Engine Works until May, 1924. During 1920 and 1921 Mr. Swett was a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, which upon his graduation in the latter year conferred upon him the degree of Master of Business Administration. Following the death of his father, who was one of the notable figures of business life in this section of the state, Ray- mond F. Swett succeeded him to the presidency of the A. L. Swett Iron Works and the Erie Pump & Engine Works.
On May 20, 1922, Mr. Swett was married to Miss Marion Frances Hersey of Hingham, Massachusetts, in the "Old Ship church" of that place. Her father, Eben F. Hersey, is an official of the New England Telephone Company. His residence in Hingham is an old homestead which has been occupied by the Hersey family for many generations. His daughter, Mrs. Swett, who was graduated from Wellesley College of Wellesley, Massachusetts, in 1920, was a member of the Tau Zeta Epsilon society and an officer of her class. Mr. and Mrs. Swett have one son: Albert Hersey, who was born on the 18th of February, 1923.
Mr. Swett is a republican in politics but has never sought nor desired public office. He assisted in the Red Cross and Liberty bond campaigns during the war, and the corporations with which he was connected were engaged in the manufacture of pumps, engines and special equipment for the army and navy and the Emergency Fleet Corporation. He has served as a director of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation. His wife was assistant secretary of the Cambridge Young Women's Christian Association from 1920 until 1921. Fraternally Mr. Swett is identified with the Masonic order, belonging to Medina Lodge, F. & A. M., and Medina Chapter, R. A. M. He is likewise a member of the Alert Club of Medina, the Town and Country Club of Lockport and the Yale Association of Western New York at Buffalo. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the First Baptist church of Medina.
WILLIAM F. HUYCK.
William F. Huyck of Le Roy, Genesee county, leading attorney, former banker and business man and representative of one of the oldest families of the Empire state, also has a long and splendid record of public service to his credit. Of Knicker- bocker stock, he was born in Le Roy, on the 23d of March, 1866, his parents being William and Phebe (Harris) Huyck. The first representative of the family in the state of New York was Jan Huyck, who emigrated to this country from Holland, arriving in New Amsterdam on the 4th of May, 1626. His descendants largely re- mained in western New York and were among the very earliest settlers to develop their holdings. William Huyck, the father of Mr. Huyck of this review, was an agriculturist by occupation and spent the greater part of his life in the Genesee country. He passed away in August, 1896, honored and respected by all who knew
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him. He had served as a member of the board of education, as village trustee and as president and trustee of the Macpelah Cemetery Association, becoming widely recognized as a prominent citizen of Genesee county, whose labors constituted an important factor in the upbuilding of the village of Le Roy.
William F. Huyck began his education as a public school pupil, continued his studies in the Le Roy Academic Institute and subsequently matriculated in Union College of Schenectady, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1887. Returning to Le Roy, he took up the study of law in the office of Walter H. Smith and at the end of a year entered the Albany Law School, which conferred upon him the degree of LL. B. at his graduation in 1890. He pur- sued his chosen calling in Buffalo during the succeeding three years and in 1893 opened an office in Le Roy, where he practiced independently for a year and then became junior member of the law firm of Randall & Huyck. This association was maintained until 1896, after which Mr. Huyck again practiced alone for five years. Upon the expiration of that period-in 1901-he accepted the presidency of The Bank of Le Roy, in the conduct of which he continued active during the succeeding decade, or until 1911, when he again turned his attention to law practice, which has since claimed his time and energies. His fidelity to the interests of his clients is proverb- ial; yet he never forgets that he owes a higher allegiance to the majesty of the law. His diligence and energy in the preparation of his cases, as well as the earnestness, tenacity and courage with which he defends the right, as he understands it, challenge the highest admiration of his associates. On January 1, 1925, he was appointed a deputy attorney-general of the state of New York.
In April, 1901, in Newton, Massachusetts, Mr. Huyck was married to Lillian Keith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Keith of that place. Mr. Huyck has served as vestryman of St. Mark's Episcopal church of Le Roy and is also a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Olive Branch Lodge, No. 39, F. & A. M., of which he is past master, also past district deputy grand master of the Genesee-Wyoming district; Le Roy Chapter, R. A. M., of which he is past high priest; Batavia Commandery, K. T .; Rochester Consistory, A. & A. S. R .; and Damascus Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Rochester. He is likewise identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Huyck is also a member of the Oatka Hose Club of Le Roy. He gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has taken an active part in local affairs, at all times manifesting a keen interest in matters pertaining to civic wel- fare. He has served as supervisor of Le Roy through the past twelve years, was village president for ten years, and also rendered valuable service to his fellow townsmen as a member of the water and light commission and the board of education. Since 1897 he has been trustee of Macpelah Cemetery Association, also vice president for the past several years, while for seven years he served as a trustee of the New York State School for the Blind. A man of high attributes of mind and character, his life has been one of successful achievement and his labors have been directed into those channels through which flows the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number.
FRANK L. CHRISTIAN, M. D.
Dr. Frank L. Christian, a man of broad experience and high professional attain- ments, is well qualified for the responsible office of superintendent of the New York State Reformatory at Elmira, and for more than twenty years has been closely identified with the management of this institution. He was born in Waterloo, New York, February 23, 1876, the only child of John and Maria (Hayes) Christian, the latter a native of England.
In 1894 Frank L. Christian completed a course in the Waterloo high school, in 1898 was graduated from the University of New York, and he was a member of the first class graduated from the medical department of Cornell University. This was in 1899, and from 1898 until 1901 he was an interne at Bellevue Hospital of New York city. During that time he was assistant instructor in surgery at Cornell University and after leaving Bellevue Hospital he became resident surgeon in the Eastern New York Reformatory at Napanoch, with which he was connected until 1901. In July of that year he came to Elmira as senior medical officer in the Reformatory and on July 10, 1911, was made assistant superintendent. On September 15, 1917, he was appointed superintendent of reformatories, at which time there were two institutions
DR. FRANK L. CHRISTIAN
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of that character in the state, and his administration has gained for him emphatic popular approval. He is a student of human nature and the motives of human conduct and is exceptionally well fitted for the important duties that devolve upon him. While a strict disciplinarian, he makes it his aim to view justly all conditions, and bases his official service upon the belief that there is good in every individual and that each should receive humane treatment.
On January 28, 1903, Dr. Christian was married to Miss Mary Therry, a native of New York city and a graduate of the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Chicago. They have a family of five children: Frank, Jean, Stephen, Arthur Booth and Gretchen. In October, 1918, Dr. Christian enlisted for service in the World war, joining the Twenty-second Infantry. He was transferred to the Atlantic Disciplinary Barracks and later assigned to duty at Fort Leavenworth prison. He was there stationed until released from military service and is now a member of the Officers Reserve Corps. Dr. Christian is identified with the Masonic order and since 1898 has been a member of Seneca Lodge, No. 115, F. & A. M., which he joined in Waterloo, New York. He gives his political support to the republican party and takes the interest of a good citizen in public affairs. He belongs to the Alumni Association of Bellevue Hospital, the American Prison Association, the Society of Medical Juris- prudence, the Eugenics Society, the Elmira Academy of Medicine and the American Medical Association. Dr. Christian was surgeon attached to the first expedition to Galveston, Texas, in September, 1900, when that city was engulfed by a tidal wave and partially destroyed by the accompanying storm. The expedition was under the auspices of the New York Journal, and Dr. Christian organized a relief hospital in the stricken city in the demolished high school. Dr. Christian has written extensively, also spoken, on the subjects of criminology, penology and eugenics. He is also a mem- ber of a number of associations for the study of these subjects.
J. G. SIMPSON.
When on January 1, 1924, the Orleans American and Weekly News of Albion, New York, celebrated its centennial, the publisher, J. G. Simpson, observed his half century spent in the journalistic field, a notable accomplishment for both the news- paper and its owner. Nearly half of this fifty-year period of service to the general welfare has been with the American, and Mr. Simpson has been identified with the printing profession as an editor and publisher in New York state for so many years that he has become the dean of the men who have upheld the high standards of periodicals in this section of the United States. He has seen the Orleans Ameri- can become the largest paper in the county, with a circulation of over two thousand eight hundred, and a following and confidence which is given to few publications. On the business side, too, his plant yields much job work and advertisers recognize the value of the Orleans American and Weekly News. Originally established as the Gaines village Free Press in 1824, the paper was at first an anti-Masonic organ. In September, 1832, the name was changed to the Orleans American and it has since borne that title. Very few papers in this country have carried the same name on their "masthead" for ninety-two years! The paper has been republican in policy ever since the organization of the modern republican party and it soon ceased to be an anti-Masonic sheet, but has always fought for liberty and for community bet- terment.
James G. Simpson was born in Tonawanda, Pennsylvania, July 31, 1855, the son of George and Julia Simpson. His father was a carriage ironer. George Simpson passed away in 1869, when forty-five years of age, but his wife lived until 1902. James G. Simpson attended the local and other schools, but learned the printing trade with the old Geneva Courier, with which he was identified for about fifteen years, so he is a printer first, and knows how to "set a stickful" with the best of them. He later started the Geneva Times, which was merged with the Geneva Daily Times. Then he returned to the Geneva Courier for a short time, after which he spent two years with the Fulton Patriot and Gazette. A larger field called and he went to Syracuse with the Herald, where he remained for two years. He spent a year and a half with the Auburn Dispatch and then worked for the Seneca Falls Reveille. Ten years of service with the Rochester Post Express was his next move and in 1901 he bought the Orleans American in Albion, and has been proprietor of this paper ever since.
With all this experience in his chosen work it was no wonder that Mr. Simpson
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brought ability and clearness of vision to the already ancient newspaper. Without forgetting the traditions or the good policies of the American, he added modern ideas and equipment and today his country newspaper is rated highly in New York state. It is meet to mention the editorship of David S. Bruner, who with H. S. Bruner purchased the American in 1861 and published it for forty years before sell- ing to Mr. Simpson. They were stanch advocates of liberty and were good republi- cans, and did a great deal for the American as well as for the good of Albion and the county. In 1910 Mr. Simpson purchased the News and consolidated it with the American.
Mr. Simpson is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to the Rochester Con- sistory, of which he is a life member; and he is a Shriner. He is also an Elk, belonging to Albion Lodge, No. 1006, and belongs to the Rotary Club and the Auto- mobile Club. If he were to list a recreation it would be the same as his occupation no doubt-editing and publishing a newspaper. His life has been a full one and his service to the various communities difficult to estimate, but newspaper men get their satisfaction from accomplishment, and Mr. Simpson has every reason to be satisfied.
HENRY LEWIS MILLER.
Henry Lewis Miller, president of the Luitwieler Pumping Engine Company, has been for more than twenty years prominently identified with the interests of that corporation. He comes from one of the old colonial families of New England and traces his ancestry to Thomas Miller, the American progenitor of the family, who was born in England and in 1636 established his home near Boston, Massachusetts, remov- ing three years later to Middletown, Connecticut. He was a miller by trade as well as by name, and was the ancestor in direct line of Ebenezer Miller, who formed a company in Litchfield, Connecticut, and served as a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war. Henry L. Miller was born on the 11th of January, 1871, in Torrington, Connecticut, and is a son of Luther Eaton and Alice (Hewitt) Miller, also natives of that state. His mother's parents lived in Stonington, Connecticut, and her ancestors were sea- faring men, many of whom were connected with the whaling industry. Luther E. Miller was formerly engaged in bridge building in Pennsylvania and is now following the occupation of farming, operating the original tract of two hundred acres known as the Miller homestead. This farm is part of an original grant of one square mile of land for services rendered the Crown, and has never been out of the possession of the direct line of the Miller family male line. Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, two are deceased. Those living are: Charles Hinkley, a brass foundryman of Torrington, Connecticut; Frank B., who is connected with the Moore-Shafer Shoe Manufacturing Company of Brockport, New York; Mrs. Harriet Hansen of New Lon- don, Connecticut; and Henry L. of this review.
Henry Lewis Miller was reared on the old Miller homestead farm in the town of Torrington, Litchfield county, Connecticut, and received his education in Torrington, graduating from high school in 1887. He assisted his father in farm work until he reached the age of twenty. In 1892 he completed a course in the Rochester Business Institute and subsequently taught classes in business and banking at the Clinton Lib- eral Institute, Fort Plain, New York. Returning to Rochester, he became an instructor in those subjects in the Osborn & Williams Rochester Business Institute, with which he was identified for five years. On the expiration of that period Mr. Miller went to Los Angeles, California, and for five years was connected with the Fulton Engine Works in that city. In 1905 he entered the employ of the Luitwieler Pumping Engine Company of Rochester and for twelve years was manager of their Los Angeles branch. He spent seventeen years in that city and returned to Rochester in 1917 to assume the duties of president of the company, in which capacity he has remained.
In 1898, in Los Angeles, California, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Anna Eliza- beth McAllister, a daughter of J. P. McAllister of that city. Her demise occurred on March 12, 1902. Mr. Miller's second wife was Miss Mabel Eloise Luitwieler, a daugh- ter of Samuel Luitwieler, a prominent business man of Los Angeles. She passed away on January 14, 1921. On the 27th of May, 1922, Mr. Miller was married to Mrs. Mabel (White) Melvin, of Bradford, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Miller belongs to the Genesee Falls Lodge of Masons, of which he is a life member, has taken the thirty-second degree in the consistory and is a Noble of Damas- cus Temple of the Mystic Shrine, while he is also connected with the Masonic Club and the Shrine Lunch Club. He belongs to the Athletic and Uplifter Clubs of Los Angeles,
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HENRY L. MILLER
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California, being a charter member of the last named organization. His name likewise appears on the membership rolls of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, the Glee Club, the Automobile Club of Rochester, the Oak Hill Country Club and the Rochester Club. He belongs to the Sons of the American Revolution and also to the Society of Colonial Wars. Mr. Miller is a man of high character, who views life from a broad standpoint and is accorded high standing among Rochester's representative business men and best citizens. Mr. Miller's residence is at No. 336 Rugby avenue.
HERBERT C. RICH.
Herbert C. Rich, president of the Bank of Cattaraugus, in Cattaraugus, New York, was born in that town on September 8, 1873, and is a descendant of one of the oldest families in that section of the state. In 1820 Calvin Rich migrated from Vermont to the Genesee country and settled first in Orleans county. About eight years later he removed to Cattaraugus county. His son, Charles J. Rich, was born there, grew to manhood and during his life was actively engaged in farming and stock raising. He married Miss Lucy A. Freeborn. His death occurred in 1914.
Herbert C. Rich is a son of Charles J. and Lucy A. (Freeborn) Rich and was educated in the district schools and Forestville Academy. Upon leaving school he began his business career as a clerk in a general store. He next embarked in busi- ness on his own account as a hardware merchant, with stores in Cattaraugus and Gowanda. When the Bank of Cattaraugus was organized he was chosen a member of the first board of directors. In 1909 he was elected president of that institution, which office he has filled to the present time. In addition to his banking and mer- cantile activities, Mr. Rich is also interested in agriculture. He owns the farm of some two hundred and twenty-five acres, on which his grandfather, Calvin Rich, settled in 1828.
Mr. Rich attends the Methodist Episcopal church of Cattaraugus and his political affiliations are with the republican party. He takes a most helpful interest in public affairs, especially those affecting the local welfare, and has served several terms as supervisor of the town. He is not a member of any fraternal order or social clubs but has always been very much interested in promoting the civic development of his town and community.
He married Miss Ella Stuart of Cattaraugus, where they have always resided. Mr. Rich is regarded as one of the substantial citizens of Cattaraugus county, where he enjoys a wide acquaintanceship and high standing in business, financial and social circles.
BARTON BAKER.
One of the younger attorneys of Rochester, New York, the subject of this sketch, was born in Webster, Monroe county, New York, January 9, 1901. The first of the family to locate in Monroe county was Carl Baker, grandfather of Barton, who came from Germany about 1855 and settled in Webster. . Carl Baker's son, Charles J. Baker, married Emma Martin, and Barton is one of the children born of this mar- riage. Charles J. Baker has been for many years actively engaged in real estate operations about Webster and Rochester and wielded a large influence in the devel- opment of the village of Webster. He established Baker Park and is interested in many other improvements. He is now (1925) living in the city of Rochester.
Barton Baker received his elementary education in Webster high school. After completing the high school course he entered Cornell University and in 1922 received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from that institution. Upon leaving the university he was admitted to the bar and entered the law office of MacFarlane & Harris, and has since been associated with that firm. Mr. Baker is interested in general law practice. In the few cases in which he has appeared in the courts he has been unusually successful for a young man, and has shown the makings of a fine trial lawyer.
In addition to his law work, Mr. Baker is deeply interested in boy development and training. For over three years he was editor of the Universal Tribune, the official paper of the Universal Scouts, the largest tribe of the Lone Scout organiza- tion, with a circulation extending to all parts of the country. He was also for a
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time advisory editor of the Boys' Magazine and is the author of many articles pub- lished in juvenile magazines throughout the nation. Fond of outdoor life himself, he has tried to cultivate a taste among boys for clean, wholesome recreation.
Mr. Baker was secretary of the official board of the Evangelical church of Web- ster, New York, and is a republican in his political views. He is a member of the Delta Phi Zeta fraternity, the Cornell Club of Rochester, and the Rochester Bar Association.
ASA C. ROWLAND.
Asa C. Rowland is now serving his second term as postmaster of Salamanca, New York, having been appointed the first time in February, 1920, and again in February, 1924. He is a railroad man of long experience, as was his father before him. Mr. Rowland is very well known in Cattaraugus county and very popular, and therefore his appointment to this important duty for Uncle Sam was well re- ceived. His ancestors settled in New York over a century ago. His grandfather, Asa Rowland, was born in Herkimer county, in 1808, and came to Salamanca when a young man, remaining in this section until his death. A. C. Rowland's father, Frank J. Rowland, who married Charlotte Rumball, was born in western New York, but spent most of his life in Ontario, Canada, and Port Huron, Michigan, being in the railroad business there. He died in 1891. A. C. Rowland was born in Clinton, Ontario, May 9, 1877.
A. C. Rowland attended the public and high schools of Ellicottville, New York, and then worked for the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railroad for the next seventeen years, first as a clerk for nine years and then as general foreman for eight years, until his appointment as postmaster. Before his railroad work, however, he studied law for two years and taught in Ellicottville for four years.
Mr. Rowland was married to Anna E. Hinmann of Ellicottville, on June 24, 1903. She was the daughter of Francis J. Hinmann. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland have one son: Harry R., who was born April 1, 1904. He is now a member of the class of 1928 at the University of Michigan, taking the transportation and commerce course.
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