USA > New York > Noted living Albanians and state officials. A series of biographical sketches > Part 2
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After his father's death, John Battersby took entire charge of the business, and he still conducts it at the old stand known to every Albanian. His trade is also said to be very large outside the city.
It was not long before his fellow-citizens sought to honor Mr. Battersby by the bestowment of political trusts. He entered the arena of politics as a republican. He first ran for alderman in the twelfth ward, which is largely demo- cratic, and received a flattering vote. He next ran for" member of assembly in the third assembly district, a democratic district which gives about 3,000 majority. But
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JOHN BATTERSBY.
true merit must be rewarded in due time, and so it came to Mr. Battersby. In the fall of 1884 he was nominated for the office of county treasurer of Albany county, and was elected by a majority of 108 over one of the most popular men in the democratic party, Albert Gallup. An attempt was apprehended to count him out, but his honorable op- ponent, and also the candidate for coroner, came out in a joint letter, gracefully admitting that he was honestly elected, and so the clouds rolled by, and the political storms abated. During that exciting canvass the word "honest" was placed before his name by his many admirers - a word whose full meaning he has nobly exemplified in all his pub- lic, official acts. After entering upon the duties of his office he endeavored to put it in the most efficient working order ; and so successful was he in this attempt-carefully and faithfully looking after the best interests of the county - that after a term of three years his party re-nominated him for the same office in the autumn of 1887. After another stirring canvass he was re-elected by a majority of 846. His present term of office will expire on the 31st of December, 1890, He is also ex-officio one of the three commissioners of the Albany penitentiary , and has taken a deep interest in the proper management of the institution, in furnishing books for the use of the inmates and in other humane acts pertaining to the amelioration of the condition of the pris- oners.
Early in the summer of 1888 Mr. Battersby crossed the Atlantic and paid brief visits to his native town, and other places of interest in Ireland, England and Scotland. He had a most enjoyable time on the other side of the water and received many flattering attentions, especially from the warm-hearted Irish and Scotch. He enjoyed the hospitality
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of the mayor of Dublin and the arch-bishop of Armagh ; and while in Scotland, met with a genuine Highland recep- tion. He was much impressed with the natural attractions of Armagh, while Belfast appeared to him more like an American city than any other he had visited. Notwithstand- ing all he saw abroad he returned home with still greater love for American institutions and a deeper sympathy for Irish patriots struggling against British oppression, and with a higher appreciation of Tom Moore's lines -
" And though slavery's cloud o'er thy morning hath hung, The full moon of freedom shall beam round thee yet."
Amidst all his active duties of life and his daily public responsibilities Mr. Battersby is a great lover of good books and the fine arts; and his pleasant residence on Broadway is adorned with quite a number of choice and valuable oil paintings, engravings and statuary, while his library con- tains a select number of standard volumes, some of which are handsomely illustrated. Unassuming in his manners, genial in his disposition, social in his nature, with the strictest integrity in his public and private acts, he well illustrates the words of the poet :
" An honest man's the noblest work of God."
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Acum Co Basler?
EDWIN C. BAXTER.
T HE subject of our sketch, Dr. Edwin C. Baxter, is of New England ancestry, born at Kenduskeag, Me., February 1, 1845. He is a son of Dr. Hiram C. Baxter, of Kenduskeag, a prominent physician, who, for nearly sixty years, has devoted himself to the practice of his profession. His grandfather, Dr. Elihu Baxter, also an eminent physician of Maine, was born in Norwich, Vt., in 1781. He practiced his profession over sixty years, a considerable portion of the time in the city of Portland, where his character as a citizen and skill as a physician were unexcelled. His great-grand- father, Elihu Baxter, was born at Norwich, Conn., in 1749, and it may here be stated that the Baxters of this family line came to this country from Norwich, England, and with others probably from the same locality, settled the towns of Norwich, Conn., and Norwich, Vt., naming the settlements in honor of their former home.
Dr. Edwin C. Baxter passed his earlier days amid rural scenes, enjoying out-of-door sports, fishing and hunting, which, with the healthful, invigorating surroundings, laid the foundation of a vigorous constitution, with which he is still blessed.
At a proper age, however, he began to turn his attention more closely to his studies, and after graduating from the
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high school, he began a course of medical instruction, which he abandoned for the study of dentistry, as being more con- genial to his taste ; a profession in which he was to find his true sphere of usefulness and distinction. In the study of dentistry he was favored with the best of instructors, his first preceptor being the late Dr. Edwin Parsons, an eminent dentist of Portland, Me. In order to secure greater advantages he went to Philadelphia and entered the Penn- sylvania college of dental surgery, an institution widely known for its excellent and thorough methods of instruction. From this college he graduated in 1866, with high honors. His skill as an operator, and proficiency in the treatment of oral diseases, had attracted the attention of Dr. C. N. Pierce, professor of operative dentistry in the same institu- tion, who at once engaged him as an assistant in his practice, his association and consequent experience there being of no little importance to him in subsequent years. At the end of the year he established himself in New York city, where he remained for a time, but was induced to return to Phila- delphia, where he formed a partnership with his friend Prof. Pierce, under the firm name of Drs. Pierce & Baxter. This firm enjoyed an extensive practice among the better class of people of Philadelphia and vicinity.
Through the advice of the late S. S. White, of Philadel- phia, publisher of the Dental Cosmos, he came to Albany and purchased the practice of the late Drs. R. & A. Nelson, whose office was located at No. 22 North Pearl street ; from there he moved to No. 50 of the same street, where he remained until 1886, when he purchased his present resi- dence, No. 160 State street, opposite Capitol park, a most desirable location, with very inviting surroundings. Here he enjoys one of the most extensive and finest practices in
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EDWIN C. BAXTER.
the State, his patients coming not only from Albany, but from all parts of the State. By careful investigation, close attention, and a genuine love for his chosen profession, he has well earned an exalted reputation, and deserves the high compliment paid him by the Pall Mall Gazette, in the fol- lowing words :
" During the summer of 1879, a party of our citizens of London were on a visit to America. On their return from Niagara Falls to New York, they had occasion to stop over at Albany, which is the capital of the great State of New York. During their sojourn there, it was found necessary for some of the party to have some dentistry done. A cele- brated Albany dentist, Dr. Edwin C. Baxter, was chosen for the work, which he did in the most skillful manner. His mode of treatment is very gentle, whilst his mechanical skill enables him to do his work quickly and to do it in the best possible manner. Dr. Baxter will compare very favor- ably with Dr. J. Fairbank, dentist to her majesty, the queen, and the royal family, and Dr. Thomas W. Evans, of Paris, who was dentist to Napoleon III, and the imperial family. Dr. Baxter graduated at the Pennsylvania college of dental surgery, in 1866, with the highest honors, and now stands at the head of the profession, as one of the best dentists in the world. He has worked faithfully to gain this point, and deserves the highest possible credit for the wonderful perfec- tion he has attained in the art of dentistry. He, like Dr. Fairbank, and Dr. Evans, is gaining a world-wide reputation for the excellence of his work and the manner in which he does it. We heartily commend Dr. Edwin C. Baxter to all Englishmen visiting America who have occasion to call upon a dentist."
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To which " Faxon," of the New York Commercial Adver- tiser, adds: " A higher or more deserved compliment than the above could not be devised."
In 1873 Dr. Baxter married Miss Lydia Ryerson Sprague, of Brooklyn, Long Island. In 1885 he spent three months in foreign travel, visiting London, Paris, Switzerland, and other places of interest in Europe. He is refined in his tastes and feelings, and sociable and agreeable in his nature.
JOHN BOGART.
N Albanian by birth, who holds an important position as a state officer, and whose abilities have brought him into wide notice, is the Hon. John Bogart, the accom- plished state engineer and surveyor. He was born in Albany, on the 8th of February, 1836. His ancestors came from Holland to this city as early as 1640, and owned lands in Beverwyck, now Albany, in 1641 ; they were consequently among its very earliest settlers. And here their descendants lived in characteristically simple, honest, industrious ways, until they established comfortable and substantial homes for themselves and competencies for their children. The family also owned property in Ulster county purchased from the Indians, and Mr. Bogart has the original parch- ment patent for these lands from Governor Benjamin Fletcher in the reign of King William and Queen Mary, dated March 28, 1694. The old Dutch element of Albany, though quiet in its progress, nevertheless succeeded in lay- ing the foundation of our municipal fabric on solid ground which the political convulsions of more than two centuries have not been able to undermine.
When still very young, John Bogart, the subject of this memoir, was sent to the Albany academy. That institution, then as now, was noted for the thorough educational train-
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ing given to its students. Under the direction of Dr. T. Romeyn Beck, Dr. William H: Campbell, the Rev. William C. Miller, and Dr. George H. Cook, the elements of a liberal education were excellently taught. At that period the two great prizes of the academy year were the Van Rensselaer classical medal and the Caldwell mathematical medal, given for the best student in each of those branches. Young Bogart was the first person to whom were awarded both of these medals in the same year. From the academy he went to Rutgers college, where many sons of Albany Dutchmen had, for years, received their collegiate education. He graduated in 1853, with the degree of bachelor of arts. The college subsequently conferred on him the master's degree.
Mr. Bogart's health on leaving college was delicate and, to secure the advantages of active exercise, he entered at once the corps of engineers of the New York Central railroad and was actively engaged for several years upon the im- provement of the lines of that road, then in progress. A large part of his duties was in connection with the construc- tion of the direct road between Syracuse and Rochester, through Clyde, Lyons and Palmyra, which effected a saving of twenty miles, as compared with the length of the older line by way of Auburn, Geneva and Canandaigua. In this service his health was entirely restored and he has since been strong and vigorous, fairly promising to continue the somewhat remarkable record for longevity of his family for many generations.
This experience in engineering work established his choice of a profession. He has been through life a civil engineer and has become well known as an expert in the considera- tion of questions connected with engineering. His next service was as an assistant in the engineer department of the
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JOHN BOGART.
state of New York. He was engaged upon the works of re- construction and enlargement of the canals of the eastern division of the state, and for some time, as a young engineer, occupied a part of the offices in the state house where, thirty years afterward, he presided as the state engineer.
At this time the construction of the great park in New York city was then just being entered upon. This project involved very important engineering work in its roads, tun- nels, arches, bridges, drainage and water system ; it also in- volved the artistic element of æsthetic landscape treatment. Mr. Bogart was engaged upon this work until the be- ginning of our civil war, and became deeply interested in the development of urban and suburban park improvements. He has since been connected with many such improvements in various parts of the United States.
At the outbreak of the great civil war the urgent demand of the government for the best services of the young men of the country was responded to at once, both by the subject of this sketch and by his only brother, James Henry Bogart, who served through the war, up to the siege of Port Hud- son, La., where, as a major of one of the New York regi- ments, he was killed while leading his troops into action. Mr. John Bogart entered the service as an engineer and served throughout the war, being stationed most of the time in Virginia. He had charge of the construction of the heavy fortifications upon the Rip Raps, an island in Hamp- ton roads, which, in connection with Fort Monroe, guards the mile-wide channel from the ocean to the James river and to Norfolk. He was present at the memorable engage- ment between the iron-clad Merrimack and the first Moni- tor, witnessing, from the mast of one of the ships, the fight which revolutionized naval warfare.
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Mr. Bogart was, during the war, on active duty at many points in Virginia, including Yorktown, the Chickahominy, Norfolk, Point Lookout, the James river, City Point, etc , and at Richmond immediately after its evacuation. He re- mained in the service until 1866, when he returned to civil life and has since been constantly engaged in the direction of engineering works and as a professional adviser in the management of large operations.
The experience gained in the construction of Central park in New York city has led to his connection with works of city and park improvement in many places. He was chief engineer of the Prospect park, Brooklyn ; he was also chief engineer of the department of public parks of the city of New York from 1872 to 1877, and he has designed and aided in the construction of the parks and been connected with the public improvements of many cities, including Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Nashville, New Orleans and Syracuse.
When it was determined to construct a park in the city of Albany, Mr. Bogart was consulted by the commission charged with that important undertaking. He made. the design for our beautiful park and superintended its execu- tion. It was a labor of love for him to aid in the develop- ment of these grounds in the city of his birth. He considers that no other city in the world has, in the same area, so fine a park, and the citizens of Albany, as they enjoy the oppor- tunity for recreation thus afforded should give a pleasant thought of remembrance to the man whose careful study and artistic taste has made these grounds what they are.
Mr. Bogart has been connected for many years with the direction of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the representative organization of his profession. He is the
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JOHN BOGART.
editor of the transactions of that society, in which publica- tion appear the most important engineering papers pub- lished in this country. His article on " engineering feats," published in Scribner's Magasine for July, 1888, was a nota- ble paper, widely read and copied.
As a civil engineer Mr. Bogart has the reputation of conservative judgment, based upon well-informed experience and study. He is an excellent organizer of large forces of men, and has been very successful in the direction of works of much magnitude. Upon questions involving technical engineering considerations his advice is sought by the men who have large interests involved, and his private practice as a consulting engineer rendered it difficult for his friends to persuade him to accept an official position.
Mr. Bogart had charge of the exhibit of civil engineering at the international exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876. When the holding of a world's fair in New York city was contemplated, he was chosen to represent the civil engineers on the general committee, and was also appointed a mem- ber of the executive committee. He was one of the board of experts to decide upon the plans for the proposed New York cathedral, and was president of the board of experts to examine the plans for the Nicaragua canal. He is now one of the consulting engineers for the Cataract Construc- tion Company, which proposes to utilize the immense water power of the Niagara river ; is the consulting engineer of the Harlem river bridge commission, and the consulting engi- neer of Trinity corporation of New York city.
Mr. Bogart was the deputy state engineer and surveyor during 1886 and until the summer of 1887, when he resigned that position. He was at that time engaged in superintend- ing the construction of the great bridge in course of erec-
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tion across the Harlem river valley for the city of New York, consisting of two steel arches of 510 feet span each, and seven granite arches of 60 feet span.
In the fall of 1887 he was elected state engineer and sur- veyor, and assumed the office on January 1, 1888. On the resignation of Gen. Newton as commissioner of public works of the city of New York, in the fall of 1888, Mr. Bogart was tendered that position by the mayor of New York, but declined it. In the autumn of 1889, Mr. Bogart was re- elected state engineer and surveyor to hold office till the close of the year 1891.
Personally, Mr. Bogart is of a very social disposition, pop- ular and universally well liked; a man of somewhat over medium height, with thick iron-gray hair, heavy, drooping, military moustache, of quick, alert manners and distin- guished bearing. He is, in fact, a Dutchman of the nine- teenth century. He is a member of our Fort Orange club, of the Century club, and of the Holland and Saint Nicholas societies of New York, and is a trustee of the Engineer's club of that city.
Mr. Bogart's father, John Henry Bogart, formerly in mer- cantile business in Albany, has resided in New York for a number of years past. His mother, Eliza Hermans Bogart, died in March, 1889.
Mr. Bogart's family now consists only of his wife, who was Miss Emma C. Jefferis, of Pennsylvania. They lost their two children several years since. It is to be hoped, and it is understood that there is some ground for the hope expressed by many of our citizens, that Mr. and Mrs. Bogart will make Albany their permanent residence, where they have already made very many friends.
JONAS H. BROOKS.
LEADING, representative young man of Albany - a banker by profession - who is identified with the commercial interests of the city, is Jonas H. Brooks. He was born at Rutland, Worcester county, Mass., on the 5th of January, 1848. He comes from a long line of New England ancestry, which dates back to the forma- tion of the Massachusetts colony in 1630-1. He is of the eighth generation of this strong and sterling old race in this country. The parents of Jonas H. Brooks are Moses Brooks and Sophronia Greenwood. His grandfather was Jonas Brooks of Princeton, Mass., who lived to the great age of ninety-five. When Jones H. Brooks was three years old his parents moved from Rutland to Princeton, their former home, where they remained five years. After this, in the spring of 1856, they removed to the town of Oxford, Chenango county, N. Y., locating, at first, for two years on a farm, and then taking up their residence in the village of Oxford. Young Brooks attended the country district school, and the village academy, leaving it temporarily, when he had reached his fourteenth year. In 1862, his parents chose as their permanent home the attractive town of Unadilla, Otsego county, N. Y., where they still reside. Two years later, in order to carry on his academical studies under the.
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most favorable circumstances, Mr. Brooks was sent back by his parents to the Oxford academy, then under the princi- palship of Prof. D. G. Barber, a teacher of high repute and of varied learning, who is still living at Oxford. While at this academy Mr. Brooks was a diligent student in all the branches of study taught there, but at the same time he paid special attention to medicine, intending to prepare himself for a course of lectures on that. subject. What turned his attention to this field of labor was not only an early love for it but also the fact that his eldest brother was then a surgeon in the regular army ; and the young student . hoped that he might some day be associated with him in so honorable and responsible a profession. The death of this brother in 1866 changed all his plans, though his early love of medical science has never been forgotten by him. He next turned his attention to teaching, for which he was already well qualified, and in the winter of 1866-7, at the early age of eighteen, he successfully taught school in Guil- ford, Chenango county. He resumed his academical studies in the fall of 1867, at the academy in Norwich, N. Y., where he was in the teacher's class, and where he obtained a teacher's certificate as he also had done the preceding year at Oxford. In the winter of 1867-8, he taught school at Rockwell's Mills, in the town of Guilford. He now left teaching, to enter upon a calling which he has ever since followed with remarkable energy and success. In the spring of 1868 a clerk was wanted in the First National bank of New Berlin, N. Y., and as Mr. Brooks' superior scholarship, especially his excellence in mathematics, and his strict in- tegrity as a young man were widely known in the neighbor. hood, he was given a position in that bank. Giving unusual satisfaction, he was chosen teller of the same institution in
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JONAS H. BROOKS.
the following January, a position which he held till the close of 1873. He was also a director of the bank during the last year he was connected with it.
In December, 1873, he accepted the appointment of teller of the National Albany Exchange bank, having resigned his former position to do so. This office he ably filled till the death of the cashier of the bank, Mr. Theodore L. Scott, on February 22, 1881. In the following March Mr. Brooks was appointed his successor, in which capacity he continued till the bank was closed on the expiration of its charter in January, 1885. On the formation of the new National Ex- change bank of Albany, in which he in connection with Mr. C. P. Williams took the active part, he was chosen cashier, where he continued to discharge with fidelity the responsible duties devolving upon him until November 6, 1889, when he was elected a director and cashier of the Albany City National bank, which position he accepted and occupies at the present time.
Mr. Brooks is a close observer of human nature in all its manifestations, and has made this subject a special study, the knowledge of which is of inestimable advantage, par- ticularly to a bank official. He is moreover a great lover of natural scenery - of all that is beautiful and sublime in the material creation. This taste was cultivated by him during his boyhood days when upon his father's farm.
"'Tis born with all; the love of Nature's works Is an ingredient in the compound of man, Infused at the creation of his kind."
His reading in the line of historical and scientific books has been quite extensive, while he is perfectly familiar with the best treatises on political economy, banking, etc. He has also devoted considerable of his spare time to genea-
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logical work, particularly that relating to his own family name.
A republican all his life, he has taken a deep interest in political events, but has never allowed his name to be used as a candidate for any political office. He has been a mem- ber of some of the republican committees in Albany, and in 1886 was sent as a delegate to the state convention at Saratoga. He is identified with some of the political or- ganizations and clubs of the city. He is one of the founda- tion members of the Fort Orange club. He is exceedingly fond of athletic sports and out-of-door exercise, and his experience at the Rensselaerwyck rifle range where he has carried off several prizes has shown him to be a good marks- man. As a relaxation from the more confining duties of a banker's life, he finds such sports to be not only agreeable and stimulating, but healthful.
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