USA > New York > Monroe County > Rochester > Rochester and Monroe County, New York : pictorial and biographical > Part 5
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Myron W. Greene was born at district No. 6 in the township of Rush, Mon- roe county, New York, November 26, 1864. Provided with good educational privileges he was graduated from the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, New York, in the class of 1887, and became a member of the Genesee Lyceum Society. He became an active member and is now president of the board of trustees of this society. He is treasurer of the Alumni Gymnasium Associa- tion of the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary and further retains his interest in the seminary by maintaining a scholarship prize and prize for public speaking to members of the Lyceum Society. As a student in the Syracuse University, which he entered in 1887, he pursued a scientific course and was candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Science in the class of 1901. In 1888 he entered Williams College, Massachusetts, in the class of 1890. His broad intellectual culture well qualified him for an important position in the business world and following the completion of his education he entered the Bank of Honeoye Falls, Monroe county, New York, where he remained until 1892, when he be- came connected with the Rochester Trust & Safe Deposit Company, with which he remained until 1899, when he established a business on his own account for the conduct of a private banking and investment business. He deals in government, railroad and public service corporation bonds and has gained for himself a reputation as a financier of keen discernment and sound judgment.
On the 27th day of April, 1900, Mr. Greene was married to Miss Nancy Laura Lancaster, of Leadville, Colorado. She was born in Laramie, Wyom- ing, February 22, 1877, daughter of George W. Lancaster. Unto this mar- riage have been born the following named: Lancaster Myron, born Febru- ary 21, 1901 ; Norvin Ruliffson, born September 13, 1902; Zeta Priscilla, born March 2, 1904, and Nathan Ira, born March 6, 1906.
Mr. Greene is a member of the Zeta Psi (College) Fraternity of North America; also belongs to Frank R. Lawrence lodge, No. 797, F. & A. M., and Hamilton chapter, No. 62, Royal Arch Masons. In politics he is a repub-
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Mpron ID. Breene
lican and is an active, helpful and consistent member of the Presbyterian church. While he has never figured to any extent in public life in connection with political interest he is nevertheless a worthy representative of an honored family, being patriotic in his devotion to American interests and is loyal in his support of those movements and measures which he deems will prove of ben- efit to the city, government or nation.
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V.J.Whitmore
Valentine F. dalhitmore
V ALENTINE F. WHITMORE is the president and founder of the firm of Whitmore, Rauber & Vicinus, most prominent general contractors of Rochester. In the present age it is the tendency to systematize all business interests to such an extent that a single individual is now at the head of industrial, commer- cial and financial interests which would have required fifty or perhaps a hundred men a half cen- tury ago to manage and control. It is the accom- plishment of maximum results with minimum effort, the utilizing every force without waste and the employment of especially skilled labor for specific duties that has made the present condition possible. With the growth and progress that has been manifest in business circles during the past third of a century or more Valentine F. Whitmore has kept fully abreast and in fact has been a leader in this movement toward the centralization of management and con- trol. He is, as president of the firm of Whitmore, Rauber & Vicinus, employ- ing hundreds of workmen in the execution of contracts which makes their business the most extensive of the character in Rochester and western New York.
Mr. Whitmore is a native of Germany, born September 17, 1844, and at the age of five years came from the fatherland to the new world, the family home being established in Syracuse, where he acquired the major part of his education. In 1859 he started out to earn his own livelihood, being employed as water boy on public works in Syracuse. At the age of eighteen he came to Rochester and later became superintendent of construction on the canal and received a contract to repair the Erie canal. He worked on the canal for the late Lewis Selye until 1868, when he established the contract business, which under his guidance and the assistance of able associates has grown in- to one of the mammoth industrial enterprises of the city. He continued to do contracting alone for a time and on January 1, 1875, organized the firm of Whitmore, Rauber & Vicinus, with the late John Rauber and William Vicinus, which is now a stock company, with Valentine F. Whitmore as president; John N. Rauber as vice president; Lewis S. Whitmore as treasurer; William H. Vicinus as secretary, and Charles S. Rauber and Walter V. Whitmore as shareholders. All are equal shareholders. The rapid growth and develop- ment of the business has necessitated the enlargement of the force of work-
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Frederik Cortico
Frederick Cook
F REDERICK COOK, who at the age of fourteen years was thrown upon his own resources, the parental home being broken up by the death of the father, at- tained through the inherent force of his own charac- ter, his strong determination and his close applica- tion to the duties that devolved upon him, distinc- tion and honors in his adopted land. The penniless boy of fourteen became one of the most successful business men of the Empire state, served as secre- tary of state of New York and would undoubtedly have gained gubernatorial honors had he not declined. The multiplicity and extent of his business inter- ests also made him one of the best known men of the state, while his activity extended to those concerns which touch the general interests of society in lines of progress, in social and benevolent interests.
The specific and distinctive office of biography is not to give voice to a man's modest estimate of himself and his accomplishments, but rather to leave the perpetual record establishing his character by the consensus of opinion on the part of his fellowmen. Throughout Rochester and the state Frederick Cook is spoken of in terms of admiration and respect. His life was so varied in its scope, so honorable in its purposes, so far-reaching and beneficial in its effects that it became an integral part of the history of Rochester and of the common- wealth. He exerted an immeasurable influence on the city of his residence; in business life as a financier and promoter of extensive industrial and commercial enterprises; in social circles by reason of a charming personality and unfeigned cordiality ; in politics by reason of his public spirit and devotion to the general good as well as his comprehensive understanding of the questions affecting state and national welfare; and in those departments of activity which ameli- orate hard conditions of life for the unfortunate by his benevolence and his liberality.
The life record of Mr. Cook covered the period between December 2, 1833, and February 17, 1905. He was born at Wildbad, a noted watering-place in the famous Black Forest district of Germany. The father hoped to give his son excellent educational privileges and sent him to one of the best schools of the whole neighborhood, expecting eventually to allow him to attend college, but the death of the father in 1846 completely frustrated this plan and Frederick Cook, then a lad of fourteen years, was obliged to provide for his own living.
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The family home was broken up and with no advantages of wealth or influential friends to aid him he started out to win life's battles. He possessed a courage- ous, determined spirit and when but fifteen years of age came to the new world to try his fortunes. He had a married sister residing in Buffalo, New York, at that time and made his way to her home. His youth had been passed in a coun- try where all boys must learn a trade and according to this rule, with which he had been familiar, Frederick Cook resolved to acquaint himself with shoemaking. He did not find it congenial, however, and soon afterward secured employment with a butcher in Batavia, New York, where his close application and fidelity soon won recognition. His ability gained the attention of D. W. Tomlinson, the president of the bank of Batavia, who was also extensively interested in railroads, and because of Mr. Cook's knowledge of the German language Mr. Tomlinson procured for him a position on the Buffalo & Rochester Railroad, whence he was soon promoted to the position of conductor on an immigrant train on the Niagara Falls division of the Central Hudson road. In this capac- ity he aided many an immigrant from Germany in looking for a home and the corporation which he served, appreciating his services, soon made him a pas- senger conductor. He remained with the road for about twenty years, sever- ing his connection on the Ist of January, 1872. That he enjoyed to the fullest degree the friendship, regard and confidence of his fellow employes and the patrons of the road was manifest by a gift from them of an elaborate set of solid silver plate.
One of the salient features of Mr. Cook's successful business career was his ability to recognize an opportunity. When once he believed in the possibility for successful accomplishment he utilized the advantage to the utmost and thus the scope of his activity was continually enlarged until he was known as one of the foremost representatives of commercial and financial interests in western New York. While in the railroad service he had become intimately acquainted with George M. Pullman, and when the latter organized the Pull- man Palace Car Company, Mr. Cook invested the greater part of his accumu- lated earnings in that enterprise, the prosperous history of which is known to the world. Thereby he laid the foundation of his wealth. In 1852 he took up his abode in Rochester, and not only became closely associated with its busi- ness history, but also with its political life, but of the latter we will speak later on. He became closely connected with many enterprises that largely promoted the commercial activity and consequent prosperity of Rochester, at the same time adding to his business success. In 1874 he was chosen vice president of the Bartholomay Brewing Company, which was organized in that year with a capital of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. From the beginning until 1889 he served as vice president and was then elected president. His activity, however, was not confined to one or even a few lines, but embraced manifold business interests. On the 12th of January, 1876, he was elected president of the Rochester German Insurance Company, as a successor of Colonel Louis
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Ernst, and so continued until his demise. On the 13th of January, 1877, he was elected president of the Rochester Driving Park Association, and under his capable management its financial interests were advanced from the lowest to the highest degree. On the 16th of May, 1878, he was appointed one of the commissioners of Mount Hope cemetery and continuously served in that office, and was chairman of the board from that time until his demise. His name be- came prominently known in banking circles, for in the fall of 1880 he was made a trustee of the Rochester Savings Bank and later chosen one of its vice presi- dents. On the 25th of March, 1882, he was elected president of the Bank of Rochester, the predecessor of the German-American Bank, and remained at the head of the institution until his life's labors were ended. In February, 1887, he was chosen to the presidency of the Rochester Title & Guarantee Company and upon the death of J. Lee Judson he was unanimously elected president of the Rochester Gas & Electric Company of Rochester. He was also president of the Rochester Railway Company, the Rochester Telephone Company and the Ohmer Fare Register Company. His career seems almost phenomenal and yet there was not in his business life an esoteric phase. His path was never strewn with the wreck of other men's fortunes, his whole course being marked by business integrity and probity, his success resulting from his close applica- tion, his keen discernment and his able management.
Distinguished honors came to Mr. Cook in his political life. If other men who have control of mammoth industrial and commercial enterprises realized that they owe a duty to their country and would enter into politics the wel- fare of the nation would be greatly augmented, for what the country needs is men in charge of its affairs who have keen foresight, business sagacity and sound judgment. The democratic party gained a valuable accession to its ranks when Mr. Cook became one of its stalwart supporters. The first political office he ever filled was that of excise commissioner of Rochester, to which he was appointed by Mayor John Lutes, on the 20th of April, 1870, but on account of ill health he resigned in 1872, and with his family made an extended tour over Europe. In the autumn of 1873, however, upon his return to Rochester, he once more took his place in the democratic ranks to labor earnestly and effect- ively for his party's growth and progress. When nominated for mayor he ran far ahead of his ticket, although Rochester is acknowledged a republican stronghold. On the 19th of April, 1872, Governor Hoffman appointed him judge advocate with the rank of colonel of the Seventh Division of the New York State National Guards, and on the 29th of July, 1875, he was appointed by Governor Tilden assistant adjutant general and chief of staff of the same division, but he resigned November 24, 1877, on account of the pressure of his private business affairs. In 1876 he went as delegate to the democratic national convention at St. Louis, when Samuel J. Tilden was nominated for the presi- dency and in 1880 he officiated in a similar capacity at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he served as vice president, representing the state of New York. In the spring
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of 1880 he was called to perform an important service in behalf of his adopted city, being one of the fourteen citizens appointed as a commission on behalf of Rochester to guard the public interests during the work of elevating the New York Central Railroad tracks inside the corporate limits. Politics engrossed a large share of his attention and he was regarded by his party as one of its best and strongest representatives. In 1885 he was nominated for the position of secretary of state and after a strong canvass and an exciting campaign, he was elected by a majority of more than fourteen thousand over Colonel Anson S. Wood. In this important office within the gift of the people, he served so acceptably that in 1887, at Saratoga, he was renominated and was re-elected over Colonel Frederick Grant by a plurality of seventeen thousand six hun- dred and seventy-seven, the highest given to any candidate on the democratic ticket. On the Ist of January, 1890, after declining a renomination as secre- tary of state, he retired permanently to private life and from that time until his death devoted his attention wholly to the care of his large and varied business interests. On the 31st of December, 1889, just before his retirement, Gov- ernor Hill, on behalf of himself and other state officers, presented Mr. Cook with a costly watch with chime attachments, while the clerical force of the office gave him a much prized collection of photographs, representing the employes during his two terms of four years' service. The party, however, still further honored him, when in the state convention of 1894 he was urgently solicited by a large majority of the party leaders to accept the nomination for governor of New York, but he declined to become a candidate. The probabil- ity was that he would have been elected had he accepted the nomination, for Frederick Cook was honored throughout New York and sustained a high rep- utation for political integrity and lofty patriotism, as well as of marked ability.
In 1853 Mr. Cook was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Yaky of Rome, New York, who died in 1864. The following year he married Miss Barbara Agne. His one daughter is now the wife of Augustus Masters MacDonell and is the mother of one son, Frederick Cook MacDonell.
Mr. Cook was one of the distinguished Masons of the city, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter, commandery and to the consistory, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite. He was likewise a member of the Rochester Maennerchor, which was organized in 1854 and of which he served as president in 1874-5. On the 24th ofFebruary, 1882, he became a member of the Liederkranz. He was also a member of the Rochester Historical Society, the Genesee Valley Club, the Rochester Club, the Country Club and the Roch- ester Yacht Club, but it would be almost impossible to enumerate his connec- tion with the many organizations which he represented. He was made an hon- orary member of Selye Citizens Corps Eighth Separate Company, N. G. S. N. Y., January 8, 1887, and of the Albany Excelsior Corps, January 26, 1888. In February, 1893, he presented to Peissner Post, No. 106, G. A. R., a hand-
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somely bound memorial record book, one of the finest works of the kind in existence.
Along all lines of humanitarian action which tend to ameliorate the con- ditions of human life, Mr. Cook was a factor. In February, 1882, he was appointed by Governor Alonzo B. Cornell a manager of the Western House of Refuge and was reappointed by Governor Cleveland in 1883, while on the 29th of September, 1885, he was elected secretary and treasurer of that institu- tion. In 1887 he was chosen a life member of the New York State Agricultural Society and on the 19th of December of that year he became corresponding member of the Oneida County Historical Society. On the Ist of June, 1891, he was appointed by Governor Hill as one of the managers of the Rochester State Hospital for a term of nine years, and upon the organization of the board was elected its president, and was re-elected each succeeding year until the office was abolished by law, when Mr. Cook was appointed a member of the board of visitation by Governor Odell. His private charities were numerous, yet no ostentation or display ever characterized his giving. He was especially help- ful to young men who are ambitious and determined and who start out in life upon their own account empty-handed. Remembering his own struggles and trials in youth, he was ever quick to show appreciation for close applica- tion and to recognize ability by promotion as opportunity offered. For some years prior to his demise he took no active part in political work, his attention being given to the superintendence of his private business affairs and extensive investments. He held friendship inviolable and as true worth could always win his regard he had a very extensive circle of friends, his life demonstrating the truth of Ralph Waldo Emerson's statement that "the way to win a friend is to be one." The public work which he did was largely of a nature that brought no pecuniary reward and yet made extensive demands upon his time, his thought and his energies. Opportunities that others passed by heedlessly he noted and improved-to the betterment of the city and the state in many ways. He was unostentatious in manner, but all who knew him spoke of him in terms of praise. In his life were the elements of greatness because of the use he made of his talents and his opportunities, because his thoughts were not self-centered, but were given to the mastery of life problems and the fulfill- ment of his duty as a man in his relations to his fellowmen and as a citizen in his relations to his city, his state and his country.
Hon. Freeman Clarke
Freeman Clarke
F REEMAN CLARKE, whose activities were of such extent and importance as to leave the impress of his individuality upon the history of the state, was during his lifetime numbered among the most prominent and honored residents of Rochester and since his death his memory has been cherished as one of the found- ers of the city's greatness, his labors contributing also in substantial measure to the development of the state. With wonderful foresight he seemed to rec- ognize the value of a business situation or possibility and he wrought along lines of great good, but it was not alone in the field of business and finance that his name became known. He was recognized as one of the political lead- ers of the state and did much toward molding public thought and action in the middle of the nineteenth century. At all times he was actuated by high ideals of citizenship and of patriotism and his worth was recognized by the most dis- tinguished political leaders of the land.
It was on the 22d of March, 1809, that Freeman Clarke entered upon his life record in Troy, New York, his parents being Isaac and Elizabeth Clarke. He was a descendant of some of the earliest Puritan settlers of New England. One member of the family, John Clark, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was a founder of Norwich, Connecticut, where he removed in 1694. John Clark had six children. One of these, Isaac Clark, married Miriam Tracy, a granddaugh- ter of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy, of Salem, in 1637, and through him is of Royal descent. Isaac Clark's second son, Oliver, born in 1714, married Eliza- beth Freeman, a descendant of John Freeman, proprietor of Sudbury, Massa- chusetts, 1635, and moved to what was then the wilderness of western Massa- chusetts, settling near Westfield. Of his children, Zephaniah, born in 1752, married Zulima Cooley, a descendant of Benjamin Cooley, who settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1644. Zephaniah Clark removed with his family from Westfield to Williamstown, Massachusetts, and later to Poestenkill, New York, where he died, leaving a numerous family, the eldest of whom, Isaac Clarke, born in 1779, married Elizabeth Brown, and was the father of Freeman Clarke, born March 22, 1809. In 1827, when about nineteen years of age, Freeman Clarke became a resident of Albion, Orleans county, New York, where he engaged in mercantile and manufacturing pursuits. Even in early man- hood he displayed remarkable prescience that enabled him to determine with
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accuracy the value of a business situation and to utilize his opportunities to the best advantage, so that whatever he undertook proved successful. He began operating in the field of finance in 1837, when elected cashier of the Bank of Orleans.
In 1845 Mr. Clarke arrived in Rochester and from that time until his death figured prominently in financial circles here. He organized and became presi- dent of the Rochester Bank, was chosen trustee and treasurer of the Monroe County Savings Bank and in 1857 was instrumental in organizing the Mon- roe County Bank, of which he became president and which at a later date was converted into the Clarke National Bank. His judgment was so sound, his enterprise so marked that his co-operation was sought for the development and furtherance of various financial and other business interests. He became not unknown in connection with railroad operation and was one of the first directors of the Rochester, Lockport & Niagara Railroad, now the Niagara Falls branch of the New York Central. At different times he was president and director of the Genesee Valley Railroad, was treasurer and director of the House Telegraph Company and a director of the Western Union Telegraph Company. As his operations extended he became recognized in New York city as one whose labors would prove a valued element in financial circles and he was chosen a trustee and subsequently the vice president of the Union Trust Company of New York, also one of the first directors of the Fourth National Bank of New York and one of the organizers and a director of the Metropol- itan Trust Company of New York.
On the 28th of May, 1833, Freeman Clarke was married to Henrietta J. Ward, who was the youngest daughter of Dr. Levi Ward. She was born at Burgen, New York, October 2, 1814, and died at Rochester, October 30, 1890, while the death of Mr. Clarke occurred in Rochester, June 24, 1887. They be- came the parents of ten children, as follows: Levi Ward, who was born Aug- ust 10, 1834, at Albion, New York, and died July 28, 1894, at Rochester ; Eliza- beth Jane, who was born at Albion, September 6, 1836, and died April 5, 1854, at Canandaigua, New York; Freeman De Witt, born in Albion, December 19, 1838, and died May 27, 1889, at Rochester ; Henry Roswell, born June 1, 1841, at Albion, and died in Rochester, April 29, 1848; George Hunt, who was born March 15, 1843, in Albion; Francis K., who was born in Rochester, May II, 1846, and passed away there on the 30th of April, 1848; Minnie Henrietta, who was born in Rochester, July 1I, 1848; Caroline Susan, who was born in Roch- ester, December 5, 1850; Edward Smith, who was born December 25, 1853, in Rochester, and Isaac Sherman, who was likewise born in Rochester, January 21, 1856.
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